


The Little Merboy

by Cakedecorator



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: "Adrien" is just "Ariel" with a few letters changed around, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir Has a Crush on Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir is Like a Disney Princess, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Aged-Up Character(s), Almost everything about the Miraculous is common knowledge, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, Alya Césaire and Nino Lahiffe Ship It, Angry Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Aquatic Powers (Miraculous Ladybug), Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, But he realizes it too late, Chloé and Lila are the eels, Dead Emilie Agreste, Disney Songs, Everyone Knows (Miraculous Ladybug), Female Trixx (Miraculous Ladybug), Fox Alya Césaire | Rena Rouge, Félix is Adrien's older brother, Gabriel Agreste is an Asshole, Hawk Moth does not have the Butterfly Miraculous, Hawk Moth is not Gabriel Agreste, Human Marinette, Hurt Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Love at First Sight, Lovesick Adrien Agreste, Matchmakers Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Mentioned Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Mentioned Théo Barbot, Merboy Adrien, Merpeople, Minus what the Guardians are trained in exclusively, Miraculous Holder Alya Césaire, Miraculous Holder Nino Lahiffe, More comments means a happy writer!, Mute Adrien Agreste, Nathalie Sancoeur Ships It, Nathalie is Sebastian, Nino is Fu's successor to the guardianship instead of Marinette, Out of Character Nathalie Sancoeur | Mayura, OverProtective Gabriel Agreste, Plagg Being Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Plagg Cares (Miraculous Ladybug), Prince Adrien Agreste, Princess Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Reversing gender roles, Runaway Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir, Sabine Cheng and Tom Dupain Ship It, Secret identities are moot, Smitten Adrien Agreste, Supportive Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Supportive Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug), Sweet Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Turtle Nino Lahiffe | Carapace, With and/or without modifications, Written during season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-13
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 55,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23129200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cakedecorator/pseuds/Cakedecorator
Summary: Adrien is the second prince of Atlantica and the merpeople. But he feels suffocated by his overly-controlling father's rules and abandoned by his distant, cold older brother, Félix.His only happiness is escaping the palace whenever his family isn't looking to collect human objects on the seafloor along with his only friend, his kwami, Plagg.Adrien dreams of living his life in the human realm and joining the other Miraculous owners as a superhero and feeling like he can be of use, instead of being stuck in the waters in Atlantica where the Miraculous have no place.But one night, he goes up to the surface to check out a human ship, and winds up meeting, rescuing, and falling in love with the beautiful human Princess Marinette, the owner of the Ladybug Miraculous.Desperate for freedom, a chance to be a real hero, and Marinette's love, Adrien strikes a dangerous bargain with Hawk Moth, the wicked sea warlock to become a human. His task: get Marinette to fall in love with him and kiss her in three days' time, or else change back into a merboy and be under Hawk Moth's clutches forever.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire & Trixx, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki, Nino Lahiffe & Wayzz, Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82
Collections: Start Reading





	1. Miraculous Fathoms Below

**Author's Note:**

> *Singing* Down to the sea we go, down a world below! A journey that starts here and now with me! So let us go, go under the sea! *Stops* Sorry for the signing, I couldn't help it.
> 
> Inspired by a tumblr post I found by a user named smartweedbrain and "the miraculous story of the little merboy" by Fangirling Heart, here's my take on Disney's "The Little Mermaid" with the role of Ariel being given to Adrien!
> 
> He's been compared to a Disney Princess (and I agree to an extent) and I honestly see him as a better fit in Ariel's role than Marinette. Strict dad, no mom around, not happy in his situation? That's got Adrien written all over it. Marinette, on the other hand, isn't so desperate. She has plenty of friends, isn't alone in the world, has loving, caring, supportive parents, and constant encouragement from Tikki!
> 
> I'll be taking a few leaves out of the book from Fangirling Heart's story, but I'll try my best to twist it around in my own way. 
> 
> Before we get started, the story will begin with how Plagg wound up in Atlantica to begin with. His holder beforehand was a man from the island of Mayotte, a French island region. As for their culture during the time period this movie was set in, I'm taking artistic license here since I don't know anything about it, so please don't hate me for it. Speaking of which, I might have Plagg be A LITTLE OOC here.
> 
> I'm also fully aware that Trixx is a male in the French version, but I watch both the French and English versions of the show. Since I like watching the English version personally, I'm writing Trixx as a female here. And I KNOW that it's been established that Gabriel Agreste and Hawkmoth are the same person in canon, but for the sake of the story, they're not.
> 
> One last note: to keep with the aquatic theme, I will have some sea animal words in place of certain language for mer-people talk. For example, "Oh, carp!" to mean "Oh, crap!"
> 
> Anyway, let's start the show!

_50 Years Ago…_

_A large, regal sailing ship was floating on the waters. A young man of twenty-one, with dark skin, long black hair in dreadlocks, a nose ring and earrings, and many tattoos all over his body was standing on the deck of the ship. He was barefoot but was still wearing clothes around his waist. He was wearing a silver band on his right hand. He was across the waters with a neutral expression._

_"Akida, kid." Someone said._

_The youth, named Akida, looked out of his peripheral vision. Floating next to him was a small, black creature that had features of a black cat. Large, green eyes, black cat ears. He was a creature called a kwami._

_"Plagg." He asked his kwami._

_"What's bothering you?" Plagg inquired._

_"Exploring these waters to find new resources for my tribe may become a double-edged sword…" Akida said._

_"You're always overanalyzing things. Relax." Plagg said._

_Plagg's holder was about to make a comeback, but then he noticed something in front of the bow of the boat._

_The boat had somehow steered into dangerous waters. Large, jagged rocks were scattered around the seascape and the currents were getting rougher._

_"Uh-oh. Rocky waters. Come on!" Akida said, before running to the cockpit of the boat to find the captain._

_As he burst through the door to the captain's quarters, the sight before the pair shocked them: the captain was quite literally asleep at the wheel._

_"No!" He shouted._

_Just then, a huge crunch noise was heard. Akida looked out the window and saw that the ship had hit one of the larger rocks. Upon closer examination, Akida saw that they were stuck between two large rocks._

_"Plagg, Claws Out!" Akida shouted, holding out his right hand. The ring turned black, and then Plagg entered inside it._

_In a flash, Akida's clothes turned completely black, black makeup covered the area his eyes and cheeks. His eyes turned from their dark brown into bright green, with a paler shade for his sclera. His pupils became more cat-like. His dreadlocks broke, and his hair went wild, with frizzes, tangles, knots, etc. Parts of his hair turned completely black and then formed into cat ears atop his head. A staff appeared in his hand._

_Akida, now Paka Mweusi, which was Swahili for "black cat," immediately moved the sleeping captain away from the wheel._

_Paka Mweusi got down and leaped out of the window. He hung onto the side of the boat and saw that the rocks were too big, the water was getting rougher, and the hole in the hull of the boat was so huge that water was rushing in really fast._

_"Cataclysm!" Paka Mweusi shouted. He lifted up his ring hand, and it started flashing with black light, and bad luck energy was charged into his hand._

_Paka Mweusi touched the rock that was closest to him. The erosion process accelerated by a million times, and then the giant rock was shattered into dust. The boat was freed, but Paka knew that it would not stay afloat at the rate things were going._

_Leaping back inside the boat, Paka took the wheel and started to steer the ship. However, the boat was sinking too fast._

_He had to get to higher ground, but it was too late. The ship crashed into another rock, this time even bigger._

_The impact was so strong that the energy transfer threw Paka off the boat and into the water. As the ship slowly went under, Paka struggled to swim back to the surface. However, he couldn't, and realized that he could only hold his breath for so long. At that moment, he knew he was done for. Paka realized that while he could not save himself, he could at least spare Plagg._

_He could not call off the transformation since that meant he'd have to open his mouth. That was out of the question, so he reached for his ring. He pulled it off, breaking the transformation. Plagg materialized out of it, and then he realized what his surroundings were._

_"What the?! We're underwater?!" Plagg asked, shocked. "Akida, what's…?!"_

_However, he saw his holder reach into his pocket and pull something out: it was small, dark red, octagonal box._

_Akida gave his kwami a sad look. Plagg's eyes went wide because he knew what was about to happen._

_"Goodbye…" Akida sadly said, letting the water go into him. He quickly placed the ring inside the box and shut it._

_"NO!" Plagg shouted. He then dematerialized and vanished inside the box. Akida threw the box into a very fast current._

_The current carried the box containing Plagg's Miraculous ring far, far away. Until it reached another shipwreck all the way across the ocean._

_It landed safely inside the shipwreck, and there it would stay for another fifty years. Thus, our story under the sea begins…_

* * *

_Present Day…_

The horizon of the ocean was seen, dolphins were breaching the waves when they came up to breathe.

One joined its pod, and they heard something. Out of the blue, a large, European-style ship was seen.

 _"I'll tell you a tale of the bottomless blue, and it's hey to the starboard, heave-ho!"_ The sailors of the ship sang.

Some sailors were pulling up a net filled with fish, making sure that sea life such as turtles and the like able to get free, and others were on top of the sail masts, hanging out and singing.

 _"Look out, lass, a merboy be waiting for you, in miraculous fathoms below!"_ They sang.

As one sailor hoisted the main sail up, the boat's figurehead on the foremast was revealed to be carved and decorated to look like a regal man with a crown, a trident, and a large fish tail.

Behind the sail, a girl emerged. She had blue eyes, fair skin, pale-pink lips, and a slight dusting of freckles that were too subtle to be seen from a distance. Her hair was dark with a blue sheen to it and it was tied into twin-tails with red ribbons. She looked to be of about sixteen, wearing a dark grey blazer with the sleeves up to her elbows. The inside of the blazer was pale pink with paler pink polka dots. Underneath her blazer was a white shirt with a floral pattern on it. She was wearing pink pants and pink ballet slippers with red soles. She had black stud earrings on, too.

A red creature flew next to her; another kwami. She was red with one large black spot on her forehead, one on each cheek, big blue eyes with eyelashes, and two antennae on her head.

"Isn't it beautiful out here, Tikki?" The girl asked her kwami. "The salty wind in my hair, great weather… Perfect day, don't you think so?"

"It is, Marinette," Tikki replied with a giggle. "Hey Alya, Trixx, what about you two?"

"Oh, it's great!" Another girl said, as she approached her friend.

She had darker skin, hazel eyes, glasses, a beauty mark above her eyebrow, just below her shoulders-length, wavy, dark red hair that was lighter at the tips, and was wearing a white tank top that was underneath a plaid flannel shirt with orange, purple and white stripes. She was also wearing blue jeans and white sneakers with black tops. She was also wearing a necklace that was a gold chain with a white-tipped orange fox tail pendant attached.

Next to her was another kwami. She was the same height as Tikki, but she had purple eyes with eyelashes on the side of them. She had a small dark brown spot above each of her eyes, made to look like eyebrows. She had fox incisors for her teeth, long fox ears with white insides, black tips and edges, and her tail was flexible and thick with a white tip. Her forearms and lower legs were black, and the front of her body and the area around her mouth were also white.

"But I prefer being on land with my bae." Alya said rolling her eyes playfully at her best friend.

"Come on, Alya," Marinette said with a giggle. "If push comes to shove, you _can_ swim."

"Hope it _doesn't_ come to that, girl." Alya said, and then the pair shared a high-five.

The kwamis giggled at the girls' banter.

"The wind is strong, and the sea is following the boat. Not to mention the weather is great," One sailor said, as he and Marinette tied a knot to a hook to keep the sail secure. "King Gabriel must be in a pleasant mood."

"King Gabriel?" Marinette and Alya asked, curious.

"He's the ruler of the merpeople, lass," Another sailor said, as he pulled up the net to unload the fish into some barrels. "Common knowledge amongst good sailors."

"Merpeople?" The girls and kwamis asked collectively.

"I don't know," Alya said, shaking her head. "Seems a bit farfetched to me."

"Yeah," Trixx said in agreement. "If merpeople existed, we kwamis would have known about it a _long_ time ago. As far as I know, there's _never_ been a merperson to hold a Miraculous."

Tikki nodded, knowing Trixx was right. This was reason enough for kwamis to be doubtful of merpeople and whether or not they were real.

"It ain't farfetched, it's all real!" The sailor told Alya, still holding a fish in his hand. "You're asking to be taken to Davy Jones' locker should you doubt his existence, lass!"

Marinette giggled at this, but then saw the many barrels of fish and rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"That's too much!" Marinette said, as she took a barrel and brought it to the edge of the boat. "I specifically said only _one_ barrel. Chef Césaire and Cheng Shifu have _enough_ seafood back at the castle! And if they ran out, they would have gone fishing themselves, too."

 _"Heave-ho. Heave-ho…"_ The sailors sang in the background as Marinette made to release the fish.

"Marinette's right," Alya said. "The sharks and dolphins need to eat, too! If King Gabriel _is_ real, then we need to only take what we need and nothing more."

 _"Heave-ho. Heave-ho. Heave-ho, in miraculous fathoms below!"_ The sailors sang, as Alya and Marinette tipped the barrels over and let the fish fall freely back into the water.

The dolphins from earlier saw the cascade of freed fish falling into the water, and they all dove down to go and hunt some to eat. One dolphin in particular kept swimming further and further below, the ocean floor was shown to be lush with life, with sea creatures ranging from fish and shellfish from corals and sea anemones of all kinds, colors, and shapes were happy and delighted.

Silhouettes of people could be seen. These people had the upper bodies of humans, but their lower bodies had fish fins instead of legs. They ranged from young children to older adults, all with different colors, features, and more.

They were all swimming to a large, glorious castle. It was glowing with life. It seemed to be made of sea stones and marble, decorated with large, luxurious pearls, and plenty of kelp was growing around the grounds.

Inside the castle was a beautiful concert hall. Merpeople and ocean creatures of all kinds were taking their seats, and a curtain was made from bubbles.

Up in a balcony seat was an older merman. He had pale blonde hair that was combed back, icy-blue eyes, fair skin, glasses, and had the faintest smile on his face. On top of his head was a crown made from coral. He had a red fin.

Sitting next to him was a younger merman who held a strong resemblance to him, with the same ice-blue eyes with a slight grey tint to them. His hair was slightly longer and had a more golden shade to it, but still had a similar stern look to it. His fin was grey with a slight green tint to it, and he was wearing a similar crown, but he was also wearing a medal around his neck, which had the symbol of the kingdom and was the decoration for the captain of the royal guard. He was the elder of the two princes, Félix.

"Father," Félix said, turning to the king. "It's not like you to attend events like this, and to have me come along is even more unusual."

"True," Gabriel said, as he looked at Félix. "But I had some spare time on my hands, and this _is_ Adrien's piano recital. I'm sure he'll be wonderful. Especially when he sings along with his piece."

Félix merely looked back to the stage, subtly shaking his head.

However, behind the stage, a dark red crab was pacing back and forth. She had black "hair" with a red stripe tied into a bun behind her head. She was also wearing glasses, had blue eyes, and a very professional air about her. Granted, she was a bit anxious.

"That Adrien… he's late! Ooh, if His Majesty finds out…!" She said, rubbing her claws in concern.

"Nathalie," A seahorse said. "Is His Highness here yet?"

"No." Nathalie said with a sigh.

"Oh boy…" The seahorse said. They knew how bad the king's temper was, so it was only a matter of time before Gabriel found out that Adrien was MIA.

Just then, the stage lights got dark, and everyone went quiet.

The seahorse came in front of the curtain, a spotlight hit him, and then he cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentle-mermen, fishes and crustaceans of all walks of life!" The seahorse began, albeit a bit nervous since Adrien had not arrived. "We welcome you to the royal piano recital of our very own Prince Adrien! And now, without further ado, put your hands, fins, and claws together for Prince Adrien with his vocal and piano piece!"

The spotlight went out and then everyone kept applauding. When the curtain opened, and the spotlight was turned on once more, the light hit the piano… But no player.

Everyone gasped in shock and horror that there was no one on the bench.

Nathalie was especially spooked and started shaking in fear. She turned to look at the king, whose already-stern face was now growing sterner with rage.

He stood up from his seat, his trident glowing with anger. Félix's face went stiff and his eyes widened for a little bit, but beyond that, one would think he was numb to seeing his father this way.

 _'Here we go again…'_ Félix thought, face-palming.

It was the usual routine: something important was going on in the palace, Adrien was missing, their father finds out he broke one of his rules, Gabriel got angry and threw a fit, and then when Adrien would get back, he would get a scolding of a lifetime that would go in one ear and out the other. Félix had seen this formula play out way too many times to be scared of it.

 _ **"ADRIEN!"**_ Gabriel shouted, angry and ready to randomly shoot things with his trident. Everyone in the room started to swim in fright.

If the citizens of Atlantica knew _one thing_ about their ruler, it was that if he was angry, head for cover immediately. This was applicable in all situations, even if you weren't the one the anger was directed at. It just was _not_ a pretty sight.

Félix merely sighed and just let his father blow up like a whale's blowhole instead of trying to do or say something to calm him down. It was better not to get him angrier than he already was. At the same time, Félix was wondering where in Atlantica his brother was.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the far outreaches of the kingdom, there was a place that had a lot of large rocks, trenches that went further below, and ribs of boats that had sunken in the area. It was pretty dark and gloomy, and it was basically a graveyard for sunken ships in the area.

Swimming in the area with high enthusiasm and passion was a merboy of about sixteen. He had sunny, golden-blonde hair, fair skin with a slight tan to it, Peridot eyes, and an emerald-green fin. On his right hand, he was wearing a thick white band with a circular surface. It was surrounded by a lining and it had four pointed diamonds on each diagonal side of the lining… The Cat Miraculous. He was also carrying a small bag, so he could carry anything he found in the wreckage of boats or anywhere else.

The boy looked around at the ships with curiosity and wonder and was having a hard time deciding which one to check out first.

"Hey! Adrien! Wait up!" A voice said.

Adrien turned around and said, "Come on, Plagg. I know you kwamis aren't meant for water life, but can't you swim any faster?"

"I could, but _someone_ didn't let me finish breakfast before we left!" Plagg said, as he caught up to Adrien.

Adrien smiled and shook his head before browsing around to see which ship to look through first.

However, he soon saw the perfect one, front and center. It was the largest ship out of all of them, and the light from the sun above was lighting it up.

"There! That's the one!" Adrien said, pointing to the boat.

"Um, Adrien… Are you sure you aren't biting off a _little_ more than you can chew by exploring that thing?" Plagg asked, as he saw the size of the boat.

The wood looked rotten, like all the time under the water eroded at it. There was algae and kelp all over the external features that were still intact. Small fish were swimming around in delight.

"Come on, Plagg! The bigger the boat, the more treasures we find!" Adrien said, as he started swimming to the ship, faster than his kwami could keep pace with.

"Kid, slow down!" Plagg shouted, as he swam after his charge in a hurry.

As they approached the wrecked vessel, Adrien found a large opening in the hull of the boat, big enough for him to go in through without having to suck in his gut.

"Okay, I'm going in!" Adrien said with a smile before quickly swimming inside.

Plagg followed suit, hoping there was something he could actually eat in there.

"At least be careful…" Plagg said. "There's no telling what could happen!"

"Don't be such a yellow dogfish, Plagg," Adrien said. "Besides, if something _does_ happen, we can handle it."

Adrien kept swimming around, trying to find new and intriguing objects. He looked around the ship and only saw parts of the boat that had broken and were rotting away with time.

Plagg was looking around as well, but not only for something to eat, but because he had grown nostalgic.

"Hey, up here!" Adrien called out. Plagg looked up and saw that Adrien had swam to the next floor up, and the kwami followed.

The kwami looked around, trying to find what had caught Adrien's attention.

"What did you find? Any cheese?" Plagg asked.

Adrien shook his head in amusement.

"No. Check that out!" Adrien said, pointing to the center of the room. Plagg followed his line of sight to see a shining fork.

 _'A… A fork?!'_ Plagg thought, his jaw dropping. He was gobsmacked that something as simple as a fork would fascinate Adrien.

"Wow! Isn't it amazing?" Adrien said, as he swam over to the fork and picked it up. "It's beautiful!"

"Adrien, that's a…" Plagg began, but Adrien's voice cut him off.

"Come on, let's keep looking! We'll find Kim later and ask him what this is!" Adrien said, before swimming off to find more items.

Plagg shook his head. Whenever he tried to explain human objects, Adrien would tune him out or just not believe him. The logic Adrien used was that since Plagg had been dormant for fifty years, some of Plagg's knowledge could be quite outdated. Plagg knew there was some validity to this, but he was also aware that there were objects that stood the test of time, forks being one of them. He also felt he was a better source of human information than anyone else under the sea. Especially since he was originally from the human world anyway.

A dark shadow passed over the window. Plagg sensed something was amiss and started looking around.

Adrien had found a wooden pipe and then he wondered aloud, "I wonder what this might be?"

Plagg was about to tell Adrien that it was a pipe, but the shadow came back, and a few more sounds were heard.

Plagg soon looked out the window behind him and saw the dorsal fin of a shark. The shark emerged and was about to break through.

Plagg blanched and then he turned around.

 _"ADRIEN!"_ Plagg shouted, rushing to his holder and accidentally shoving him in the back.

"What's going on, Plagg?" Adrien asked, before turning around and seeing the shark. _"SWIM!"_

The shark broke in, with his eyes on the merboy and his kwami. Adrien snagged Plagg by his lower body and started swimming away. The shark was chasing after them, snapping his jaws like crazy. Every time Adrien was cornered by the shark, he managed to slip away.

Adrien dove down to the first floor of the boat, but just when he thought they were safe, the shark broke in from above and started snapping at them again. Adrien once again swam away, but his bag was snagged on a broken plank. It was like a big game of catfish and mouse.

Adrien turned around to see the bag and go and get it. The shark was closing in on them, too. Adrien saw there was a hole in the floor, and then there was an anchor hanging from above. He smiled, getting an idea.

 _"Plagg, Claws Out!"_ Adrien shouted, as he held out his ring hand.

Plagg entered the ring, and then Adrien began to change. Swiping two fingers in front of his eyes, a black mask that covered the top half of his face, the top of his cheeks, and ended at the tip of his nose was formed. His eyes became very cat-like, the sclera turned light green, a paler shade compared to his irises. His pupils became slanted like a cat's, as well. His hair grew even wilder, and two cat-ear appendages were formed on his head. The green energy swirled down his body, turning his suit black with leather-like material, there was a bell around his neck, and he had thick, black gloves on his hands. The black cloth went down to his fin.

Adrien, now Cat Noir, immediately swam up to the ceiling.

 _"Cataclysm!"_ He shouted. Bad luck energy was collected in his ring hand. He touched the wood next to the anchor.

It rotted away quickly, releasing the anchor. It landed in the hole in the floor, and the ring hole meant for the chain was sticking straight up. The shark ran into it face-first and was then stuck.

Cat Noir smirked before getting his bag. He gave the shark a mock salute and then swam away from the boat.

Once he was a safe distance away, Cat Noir breathed a sigh of relief.

"Claws In." He said, releasing the transformation. Plagg came out of the ring and came to eye level with his holder.

"That was quick thinking, kid. Nice work." Plagg praised.

"Thanks," Adrien said, chancing a look at the boat again. "But that was a close one."

Once he had managed to relax, Plagg could not help but remember that something similar had occurred when he and Adrien first met.

~Flashback – Three Years Ago~

_Adrien, at thirteen, was swimming around a shipwreck, looking for human objects to collect._

_He'd found items such as an old accordion, human currency, vases and other trinkets. Ever since Adrien was young, the human world was a source of intrigue for him. He wanted to learn more and more._

_"Aha! Another whatchamacallit!" Adrien declared, picking up another corkscrew. But it was decorated like a peacock._

_As Adrien kept swimming around, looking for new items, he saw something out of the corner of his eye._

_It was a dark red, octagonal box. He swam over to take a look at it._

_"What could this be?" Adrien said, picking up the box. Gently opening it, he found a white ring. Rings were something he'd seen in Atlantica before, so he wasn't that surprised._

_The ring started glowing green, and Adrien covered his eyes. Once the light faded, Adrien opened his eyes to see Plagg._

_"What the…?" Adrien muttered. "What are you?"_

_Plagg opened his eyes and looked around._

_"Oh, man! I'm still under the water!" Plagg complained._

_He looked around more, trying to find something to eat._

_"Excuse me." Adrien said, trying to get his attention._

_"Hey kid," Plagg said. "The name's Plagg. I'm a kwami."_

_"A… A what?" Adrien asked._

_"A kwami. See, that ring you're holding is my Miraculous. Just put it on and I'll… HOLY CHEESE!" Plagg shouted once he saw Adrien's fin. "What am I?! I should be asking what YOU are!"_

_"Okay, first off, I'm a merboy…" Adrien said, pointing at his fin and explaining himself. "Secondly, what's cheese?"_

_"Okay… Maybe you should explain what's going on first before I say anything." Plagg said, pinching himself._

_Adrien slipped the ring on his right ring finger and then he led Plagg outside of the ship._

_"Welcome to Atlantica." Adrien said, as he gestured to the kingdom._

_Plagg was in awe. Not just because he was seeing something so beautiful, but he was also in shock that such a thing could exist under the sea._

_"Wow… I've been around since the dawn of time and I've NEVER seen anything like this." Plagg said._

_"What do you mean?" Adrien inquired._

_"We kwamis are immortal and we are bound to our Miraculous items. But we've always lived on land. We've never known about the existence of… Well, THIS." Plagg said._

_"You mean you've lived amongst humans all this time?!" Adrien asked, excitedly._

_"Yes, but…" Plagg said._

_Adrien's eyes lit up and he immediately grabbed Plagg by the abdomen and said, "You HAVE to tell me everything you know about humans! Please?!"_

_"Okay, okay, kid, but first off, I'm STARVING! Let me eat… Well, whatever merpeople eat, and then I can explain things from there." Plagg complained._

_"I have some caviar here," Adrien said, taking out some fish eggs. "If you want."_

_"I'll take it," Plagg said, as he ate a little bit of it. "Pretty good stuff. This is actually a very expensive, coveted food item for humans."_

_Adrien slightly shuddered at that comment._

_Once Plagg finished eating, he sat Adrien down and started to explain everything about the Miraculouses and their powers._

_As they were talking, Adrien felt a sense of foreboding. Looking around, he saw a great barracuda heading in their direction._

_"Carp! A barracuda!" Adrien shouted. He snagged Plagg and went to go and hide somewhere._

_"Kid, this is the chance to try out your powers!" Plagg said. "But remember: Cataclysm can only be used once, and then you only have five minutes before you change back."_

_"Understood. Plagg, Claws Out!" Adrien declared, before transforming._

_Now Cat Noir, he started to swim around and look for something to stop that barracuda. It had already noticed him and started chasing him around._

_Cat Noir started swimming around in circles, over rocks, through coral, everywhere. He was trying to think of an idea._

_He soon saw a small cavern with two openings in it. Knowing what he could do, Cat Noir swam inside, with the barracuda closing in. He stopped and saw the amount of coral and stones jutting out everywhere._

_Smirking, he lifted up his ring hand._

_"Cataclysm!" He called out, filling his hand with bad luck energy._

_He used his fingers and swiped from one side of the cavern, to the top, and then back down to the other side. Cat Noir immediately swam out of the other exit. The areas he touched didn't spread to the entire cavern, and they rotted away, causing a cave-in. The barracuda didn't make it. Rather, he was trapped in the cave-in._

_Cat Noir kept swimming until the transformation released._

_"Impressive!" Plagg said. "You know, kid, I think we're going to make a great team."_

_"I agree. Best part is that I finally have a friend," Adrien said, as he took out a little more caviar. "Here."_

_"Thanks." Plagg said, as he started gobbling the expensive product._

~End of Flashback~

Adrien noticed his kwami staring off into space, and then said, "Plagg? You okay?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Plagg said. "Just thinking about… Things."

"Knowing you, it's probably about human food." Adrien said with a chuckle.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, let's go see that seagull," Plagg said. "He'll probably have some cheese for me to eat."

"You and your camembert… I can't figure out how you can stand to eat that stinky stuff. Smells worse than rotting whale carcasses, and sharks love eating _that_." Adrien said, as he and Plagg started to swim to the surface.

" _Please_ don't talk about sharks after what happened just now." Plagg said.

"Sorry." Adrien said with a chuckle, as they soon made it to the surface world.

There was a rock the middle of the water on the surface. There was a wrecked crow's nest from a ship that was made into a makeshift nest.

Inside the crow's nest was a seagull. He was white with an orange beak, the tip of which was red, and the feathers on his head were white with black tips that were styled in a sharp quiff.

He was fiddling around with a telescope, including collapsing it and opening it while pressing it on top of his head. Otherwise, he was doing nothing in particular.

"HEY, KIM!" Adrien shouted.

Kim looked through the telescope – albeit the wrong end – and saw Adrien and Plagg, with the former of the two of them waving hello to the sea bird.

"Ho! Merboy off the port bow!" Kim shouted in response. "Hey, Adrien! What's new, buddy?"

However, Adrien and Plagg were literally in front of him. The bird put the telescope down to see the merboy in front of his beak.

"You're faster than a sailfish," Kim commented. "Perfect timing. I have to offload this cheese to someone."

"Gimme gimme gimme!" Plagg prattled on. Kim went into his nest and pulled out a few wheels of camembert for Plagg.

"Thanks, Kim." Adrien said, as he stashed the cheese into his bag to save for later.

Whenever they would meet up, Kim would make an effort to steal camembert from the cheese shops in town. The humans were none the wiser, luckily.

"You gotta check out this stuff we found!" Adrien said, as he lifted the bag and dumped its contents on the rock.

"Human items, eh? Let me at em', dude!" Kim said, as he flew down and took a look at the fork and pipe.

Picking up the fork, Kim examined it and he smiled.

"Wow, this one is pretty rare. Haven't seen one of these things in ages." Kim said, looking over the fork.

"What is it?!" Adrien asked, his eyes lighting up with curiosity and excitement.

"I can tell you what it is," Plagg said. "It's a…"

"How long has it been since you've been among humans?" Kim asked, interrupting Plagg.

"About fifty years, but…" Plagg began, but the gull cut him off.

"Then I can bet that _I'm_ a more current, reliable and credible source of information about human things than you!" Kim said, with smug confidence.

Plagg just resigned himself to listening to Kim's nonsense. The kwami had to admit that it was entertaining to see how excited Adrien got over the stupid names and descriptions for every item they showed Kim. To the kwami, a lot of these items were pretty mundane, but it was like finding a rare gemstone to Adrien.

"Now, where were we? Oh yes, this little thing here is a dingle-hopper!" Kim declared.

Plagg face-palmed, _really_ trying his best to keep himself from giving both Adrien and the seagull a reality check.

"Wow…" Adrien said, his eyes aglow. "What do humans use it for?"

"To comb their hair with. Allow me to demonstrate." Kim said.

He put the tines of the fork in his feathers and then he twirled it around like one would twirl pasta in their plate. He twisted once more and then yanked the fork out, turning his plumage into a big, billowing pillow. Plagg resisted the urge to laugh at how ridiculous the bird looked.

"Et voila! A fancy new hairstyle that humans absolutely love." Kim said, handing the fork back to Adrien.

Adrien himself started to run the fork tines through his hair like it was completely normal. Plagg sighed and shook his head.

After Adrien put the fork down, he handed Kim the pipe and asked, "What about this?"

Plagg wanted to tell Adrien it was a pipe, but Kim once again took the stage.

"Oh, that there's a snarfblat. When humans got bored of sitting around and staring each other in the eyes all day, they created the snarfblat so they could play music. Watch." Kim said, as he took the pipe into his wings.

He blew into it, only for a bunch of water and a bit of sand to come out.

Hearing the word "music," Adrien realized something that he had forgotten.

"Music?!" Adrien exclaimed. He then slapped his hands against his face. "Oh, carp! The piano recital! Father's going to _scale_ me!"

"Your recital was _today_?!" Plagg asked, as Adrien put the fork back in his bag.

"I think I'm getting something…" Kim said, as he tried to blow into the pipe again, only for Adrien to grab it.

"Sorry, we gotta get going! Thanks for the info, Kim!" Adrien shouted, as he and Plagg dove back down into the water to head back to the castle.

"Anytime, buddy!" Kim said as he saw his friends depart.

Plagg and Adrien swam for their lives at a fast pace. Or rather, Adrien was the one swimming faster than his usual top speed while Plagg hung onto his fins. This was primarily out of fear.

As the pair rushed back home, they were unaware that they were being watched. Hiding in a crevice in some nearby rocks were two eels. One of the eels was brown-orange with olive-green eyes, while the other one was dark yellow and icy blue eyes. Each one had one eye that was glowing yellow while they were watching Adrien and Plagg. There was a pink butterfly outline in front of their faces, too.

They put their faces close to each other, their glowing eyes next to one another. Everything that they were seeing was being sent somewhere.

In a dark cave, an orb that projected an image of Adrien and Plagg was sitting in a cauldron that was shaped like the remains of a shark's jaws, but the teeth had been buffered down to prevent people from getting cut.

"Yes, little prince. Go on a hurry home to be safe. We wouldn't want to miss yet another one of your recitals. Especially since your dear old daddy has planned an entire celebration for you to honor it." A deep, cold voice said from the shadows.

Emerging from the dark came a man. He was wearing a dark purple dress shirt with black butterfly-shaped lapels. He had a black brooch in the center of his collar, and he had eight black tentacles instead of a fin. There was a silver mask that covered the majority of his face and his neck, save for his mouth and eyes. He also had black gloves and was holding a cane... He was Hawkmoth, the infamous sea warlock.

"Tch. Celebration, my tentacle! Back when _I_ lived in the palace, we had celebrations that were comparable to the Gods! The music, the food, EVERYTHING was grand!" He stated, as he grabbed a helpless, live crawfish, and then popped one in his mouth. He ate it, shell and all, and swallowed without any remorse.

"But now look! Here I am, starving to death, banished in this cold, dismal place! Meanwhile, Gabriel and his fishy folks go and party around all day and night!" He angrily griped, as he stood up from his chair and swam across the floor on his tentacles. "But soon, they'll have something quite meaningful to party about."

The man smirked and chuckled lowly before turning back to the cauldron and looking into the orb.

"Chloé! Lila!" He shouted, as a butterfly outline appeared on his face.

The eels reacted with surprise and hit their heads on the rock above them.

"Keep a close eye on that little boy of Gabriel's!" Hawkmoth stated. "He could very well be the ticket to the throne of Atlantica. And once I have that, the Cat Miraculous will be mine for the taking, too!"

He started to chuckle evilly as the scene slowly transitioned to black.


	2. Part of That World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we'll explore more about why Adrien wants to live amongst the humans and why his father is so against them in the first place.
> 
> And Adrien sings!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And since I wasn't sure why the Miraculous and kwamis were common knowledge in Fangirling Heart's story. For example, were they never a secret to begin with, or was it something else? So, I thought I'd try to come up with some reasons for my own.
> 
> The best thing I could think of was that since they had been around since the dawn of time, the kwamis and the Miraculous were just known about by humanity ever since. Instead of keeping them secret, everyone learned to respect the kwamis for their wisdom and symbolism, because they would choose their holders before the guardians came along. As a result, they were allowed to be out in the open without any repercussions. Over time, instead of going into hiding or people losing their knowledge of their existence, the guardians of the Miraculous were founded and trained. Each older guardian would take on an apprentice to train to keep the knowledge going on for future generations. Thus, being a guardian or an apprentice guardian was a sign of prestige and honor. But it was still one of those things that was close to telling a stranger what you do for a living and not getting any strange looks. Thus, the existence and the information about the Miraculous in the human world was equitable to the knowledge that George Washington was the first President of the United States.
> 
> Since they were meant to protect humanity, the Miraculous were never meant to be used amongst the merpeople. There's just no place for them because it's unnecessary. That's why Adrien is the first and only merboy in existence to hold one.

Back at the castle, Adrien and Plagg were in the throne room. They were being subjected to yet another scolding session at the hands of King Gabriel and Nathalie.

"What on the ocean floor are we going to do with you, young man?!" Gabriel said, sitting on the throne and coldly scolding his youngest son.

"Father, I forgot…" Adrien began, but Gabriel interrupted him and continued.

"Because of your carelessness…" Gabriel began.

" _And_ recklessness." Nathalie added, just as cold and stoic.

"Indeed," Gabriel said, agreeing with the crab. "The entire recital turned into a disaster!"

Adrien crossed his arms and looked down, not really listening.

"I worked my shell off to ensure that piece you would be playing would turn out to be absolutely perfect," Nathalie complained. "And now look what happened: all that work went to waste because you were never consistent with practice session and you failed to come to the recital."

"You could have been in serious danger, Adrien." Gabriel stated.

"Hey, we were perfectly okay!" Plagg said, sticking up for his holder.

Gabriel sighed and let Plagg make his case. When Adrien first introduced Plagg to him, he was at first against the kwami's presence due to his connection with humans. But as time went on and Gabriel saw how happy Adrien was to have a friend, he eventually accepted Plagg as an unofficial member of the family.

"Aside from a close call with a shark, we were fine. Adrien had transformed and outwitted him. Then we met up with that seagull and…" Plagg continued, but then he slapped his paws over his mouth.

Adrien face-palmed himself at Plagg's slip of the tongue. He knew what was bound to happen.

"Seagull?" Gabriel stated, before growing angry.

It was the kind of fury that was not easily noticed if one did not know the person well enough. The only change that could be seen was Gabriel's eyes narrowed down a bit and his eyebrows sorrowed ever so slightly.

"You went to the surface again, _didn't you_?!" Gabriel demanded of his youngest.

Plagg hid behind Adrien, while the blonde merboy backed off a bit, before trying to defend himself.

"Nothing happened, father! We're here and we're in one piece!" Adrien stated.

"Adrien, how many times do we have to talk about this?!" Gabriel said, swimming over to Adrien. "One of those brutes could have seen you! One of those humans!"

"Father, they're _not_ brutes!" Adrien protested.

"They're _dangerous monsters_ , Adrien! The last thing I want is a repeat performance of what happened to your mother!" Gabriel insisted.

"Father, I understand that, but I'm a _Miraculous holder_! I can take care of myself!" Adrien insisted.

 _"Drop that tone right now, young man!"_ Gabriel shouted, causing Adrien to flinch. _"So long as you live under my ocean, you will obey my rules!"_

"Would you _please_ listen…" Adrien began, but…

 _"NOT ONE MORE WORD!"_ Gabriel shouted. "And I will **_never_ **hear of you going up to the surface again! _Do I make myself clear?!_ "

Adrien's lower lip started to quiver, and in an angry huff, swam off. Plagg hung on to Adrien's fin and took a ride along with him.

Gabriel sat on the throne, frustrated. Nathalie shook her head, before chancing to speak.

"If I may, Your Majesty?" Nathalie said, a bit timidly.

"Go ahead, Nathalie." Gabriel said.

"With all due respect, I think you were being a bit harsh on him," Nathalie said. "He's at that age where he needs to be allowed to be free. And as Plagg mentioned, being a Miraculous holder, any scrapes Adrien would run into could be handled fine."

"...You have a point, Nathalie." Gabriel said. The crab grew a smile on her face, feeling proud.

"I do? I-I mean… Indeed, I do!" Nathalie said with pride, albeit she was also embarrassed by the praise from the king.

"Regardless, he needs someone to watch over him 24/7," Gabriel said. "And Nathalie, you're just the crab for the job."

"Yes, I – wait, excuse me?!" Nathalie asked, surprised the conversation took this particular turn.

About a minute later, without any other arguments, Nathalie had left the throne room and she was walking across the floor, she started muttering to herself.

"Honestly, this wasn't what I was expecting. I'm supposed to be the king's right-hand crab, not a supervisor and stalker for the prince. Maybe I can get a job change within the castle once I work up the shell to show the king all the music I've written…" Nathalie said, frustrated.

"Plagg, claws out!" She heard Adrien shout from nearby.

She turned around to see the flash of green coming from somewhere. Cat Noir emerged. He was looking around, trying to hide, while holding onto his bag. Thinking the coast was clear, he swam out of the castle.

" _Now_ what is he doing?" Nathalie muttered as she covertly swam after the prince.

* * *

Cat Noir made a decent distance away from the castle. He was just outside the city limits, but he was still technically in Atlantican territory.

He came to a small cave that had a rock blocking the entrance.

Nathalie watched from a good distance away. Cat Noir looked around once again, trying to make sure no one was watching him. Once he deemed it to be safe, he took out his baton. Using that, combined with his enhanced physical strength, he pried the rock away from the opening in the cave and quickly swam inside.

Nathalie swam as fast as she could. She just barely slipped inside before the rock shut. However, she was trapped. She managed to squeeze out, but once she did, she bounced around a bit before slamming into a mantle clock and then falling back onto the back of her shell.

Once she regained her bearings, she looked up and looked around. The cave was very large and tall, and on every shelf were human objects as far as the eye could see. There were items like jack-in-the-boxes, vases, paintings, silverware, jewelry, etc. Just seeing all of these human trinkets made Nathalie's jaw drop.

In the center of the cave, Adrien had changed back, and he was sitting on a rock. He had the dingle-hopper in his hand and was fiddling with it.

Plagg was looking at his holder with concern and decided to ask, "How're you holding up, kid?"

"Not well," Adrien answered. "I see where he's coming from and all, but…"

Plagg knew what and whom Adrien was referring to: the events that took away Queen Emilie, his mother. From the stories that he heard from Adrien, Plagg was aware that his mother was the king's main source of happiness.

Emilie had been close to Gabriel ever since they were children. She had a hunger for adventure and learning and was always interested in humans. This was back when it was not taboo to go up to the surface or have contact with the human world.

She would frequently go up to the surface to watch humans play on the beach or on their boats. Emilie would always make sure to stay out of sight to avoid getting hurt. Gabriel would join her every now and again. Even after she had married Gabriel when he was still the prince, or even had Félix and Adrien and became a mother, that did not quell her love for adventure and her inquisitiveness.

While he knew it was a double-edged sword, her outgoing personality was one of the main things Gabriel loved about his wife. She was loved by her family, and she was Atlantica's beloved queen.

Adrien could barely remember, but he still knew what had happened to his mother.

_~Flashback~_

_When Adrien was only five and his brother was about ten, the family was up on the surface on a small vacation. Even royals needed a break from the day-to-day routine every now and again._

_While Félix and Adrien were frolicking in the waters, Gabriel and Emilie were sitting on a rock, holding hands and watching the boys play. Gabriel then took out something that he felt Emilie would love._

_"Emilie… I have something for you, my dear queen." Gabriel said, as he brought out a beautiful piece of jewelry._

_It was dark blue brooch. It was shaped like a peacock's body and head at the bottom-center of the brooch. Nine sea-green feathers were coming out from it. It was shining in the sunlight._

_"Oh, Gabriel…" She said, as she picked up the brooch and examined it._

_"I based it on those strange land birds called "peacocks." I thought they would suit you and your vibrant personality." Gabriel said, a slight blush on his face and giving his wife a smile._

_Gabriel was not just the King of Atlantica. He was also known for his jewelry and clothing designs for the merpeople. He would often do it in his spare time when he was still the prince. Even to that very day, he would still design jewelry and clothes for his queen._

_"I love it!" She said, as she put it on._

_However, the peace was about to be disturbed. They noticed something was amiss._

_"Wait… where are the boys?" Emilie noticed._

_She and Gabriel started looking around and then they saw that their sons had gone further out in the water._

_"Félix! Adrien!" Gabriel shouted. The parents dove after the boys and started to swim towards them._

_However, Adrien noticed something out of his peripheral vision: a ship._

_"Wow, what's that?" He said, as he started swimming towards the boat._

_"Adrien, wait for me!" Félix declared, as he went after his brother._

_"I got you, Félix!" Gabriel said, as he grabbed his eldest son and stopped him in his tracks._

_"I'll get Adrien!" Emilie said, as she started to swim after Adrien._

_Adrien kept going towards the boat, unaware of his mother behind him. When she grabbed him, Adrien squealed with delight and cuddled up to his mom._

_"Maman!" Adrien giggled._

_"Adrien…" She said, as she saw what had caught Adrien's interest. "Oh, a boat! Let's go take a closer look."_

_"Emilie!" Gabriel called after his wife._

_The queen and younger prince swam closer to the boat to try and see what people could be on deck._

_The boat had some ropes and nets on the hull and the two merpeople were listening to the conversation on the boat._

_It was a lot of overlapping chatter, but the entire point of the conversation was clear: the humans were going fishing._

_"Uh-oh! Adrien, go!" Emilie whispered._

_She pushed Adrien away and he started to swim back to his brother and father. However, when Emilie tried to follow, she noticed something: her brooch was missing._

_Looking around for it, she saw that it had been caught on one of the net's fibers. But the humans were about to get that net to catch some fish._

_"Emilie!" Gabriel shouted as he watched his wife go back for her brooch._

_As she swam to the boat, she grabbed the net and reached for the brooch. However, the humans were also holding on to the net._

_Emilie managed to get her brooch, but as she was about to dive down and swim away, the net was released into the water, and it caught her fins._

_"Hey, something's caught on the net!" One of the fishermen said._

_"I've got it." Another human said._

_"I'm coming!" Gabriel shouted, as he had Félix keep an eye on Adrien._

_However, as he kept swimming to his wife, he saw something out of the corner of his eye: it was hard to make out, but above the surface and in the boat, one of the humans had taken out a sword._

_"Are you sure cutting the net free is a good idea? If you don't watch what you're doing, a sea turtle or some other precious sea animal could get hurt." Another human asked._

_"And what if it's a mermaid?" Another human inquired._

_"Come on, merpeople aren't real," The human holding the sword said. "And if they were… Well, who knows?"_

_As he approached the net, Emilie struggled to get free. When Gabriel reached her, he tried his best to pull her fins free. However, just as he freed her and made to swim away, he saw the sword coming down._

_"Gabriel!" Emilie shouted._

_"Emilie!" Gabriel shouted back._

_Seeing what was about to come, Emilie tossed the brooch to Gabriel, and gave him a sad look._

_Félix hugged his brother and closed his eyes. Adrien squeezed his eyes closed, too. Gabriel could only watch in horror as the sword broke the water's surface, pointing directly at the queen…_

_~End of Flashback~_

Ever since, Gabriel had grown cold and detached, kept the brooch as a memento of his wife, and became hateful of humans, blaming all of them for what had happened to Emilie. Basically, when the queen passed away, the happiness both the royal family and the citizens had in Atlantica died _with_ her.

Plus, Gabriel became extremely overprotective of his sons, Adrien in particular. The fact that Adrien was the spitting image of Emilie was no help.

Before meeting Plagg, Adrien's only source of companionship was his brother, but Félix was about as aloof as their father. They were playmates and best friends when they were younger, even after Emilie had died. But on Félix's eighteenth birthday, there was a grand ceremony held to celebrate that Félix was named the Crown Prince of Atlantica. Not only that, but he also took on more responsibilities when he was appointed captain of the royal guard afterwords. Félix was always the more responsible and serious of the brothers. Being put into a legitimate leadership role gave Félix the opportunity to learn how to be a leader and the future ruler of Atlantica, and gain the first-fin experience necessary to take Gabriel's place as King when the time came. As a result, Félix had little free time to spare, and what free time he did have was used to train in combat and learn new skills. Thus, Félix all but ignored Adrien and stopped spending time with him.

Between his overly-busy brother and his distant father, Adrien became much too lonesome to stand the near-drowning atmosphere, so he took to sneaking out of the palace and exploring around Atlantica as an escape. He had found Plagg in that ship about a month after the ceremony, and sometime after that, they had met Kim. The trio had been friends ever since.

As rebellious as it was, it was Adrien's only outlet and source of freedom. But Adrien did not care because it was better than being cooped up in the palace all the time.

Disobedience towards his father's rules notwithstanding, Adrien knew that Gabriel only wanted to keep him from meeting the same fate as his mom. The problem was that he did not just take after her in terms of his physical appearance: he took after her in almost everything else, too.

Adrien had always been open-minded, and he and Plagg had been to the surface enough times to see humans cleaning up the shorelines and setting sea animals free from nets, or even releasing animals that had suffered oil spills back into the water. Sadly, Adrien could not argue with his father's point about humans eating fish. Even Plagg told him that fish are a prey species for humans, but that did not mean all humans consumed fish.

"Listen, Adrien," Plagg said, comforting his holder. "I understand your father's point, because I've seen that there are _plenty_ of people up there that prove it. However, you're also right because there are just as many _good_ humans, too. Like all my past holders."

Adrien had heard many stories about Plagg's past holders. The young merboy also had some knowledge of the other Miraculouses in existence. On the whole, Adrien was aware that only good people who had specific characteristics and traits were worthy of holding a Miraculous. Being royalty was not a criterion for being a holder, for example. On the other hand, kindness and having a self-sacrificing nature were desirable qualities that did not come with the territory of status or wealth.

"Yeah, I'm glad _someone_ gets it," Adrien said with a sigh. "This is a question I've been meaning to ask, but how many Miraculous holders have been merpeople, including me?"

"Only _one_ , and that's _you_ , kid," Plagg said, with a smile on his face. "In the _entire history_ of the Miraculouses, you're the first and _only_ merboy… At least, as far as I know. The Miraculous were meant to guard _humanity_ , not the merpeople. Hard to create the Miraculous with the merpeople in mind if the creator never knew they existed."

This made Adrien feel special. Being a Miraculous holder was a big deal, but all of the holders of the past had been humans up until him. He felt a sense of belonging up on land rather than under the water as a result. If the Miraculouses' place was up on land, then why should he be bound to the water when he could do be doing so much more elsewhere?

"That's another reason why I wish father would try to understand. I just don't look and see the world the same way as him, regardless of what happened to Maman. I just can't see how a world that's capable of such craftsmanship, such beauty, and producing superheroes… Could be bad." Adrien said.

Music started to play, and Adrien began to sing.

 _"Look at this stuff. Isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my collection's complete?"_ Adrien sang, as he put the fork into the candelabra he had, where a knife and a spoon were standing in other places.

 _"Wouldn't you think I'm the boy, the boy who has everything?"_ Adrien sang, as he looked up and started to look around his grotto.

The shelves were filled with so many different items. Bells, human toys, musical instruments, broken light fixtures from ships, glass bottles, you name it, it was there.

 _"Look at this trove, treasures untold. How many wonders can this one cave hold? Looking around here, you think, "Sure, he's got everything.""_ Adrien sang, before swimming around his hideout.

Swimming up, he fiddled with some pocket watches and long necklaces that he hung up, and sang, _"I've got gadgets and gizmos aplenty."_

Nathalie could not help but look around in awe and shock. She examined some of the items, too, like walking through the strings of a harp, and nearly getting stuck.

She used her claw to get free, while Adrien sang, _"I've got whozits and whatzits galore."_

 _"You want thingamajigs?"_ Adrien sang, while holding out a box to Plagg. _"I've got twenty!"_

Adrien opened the box to reveal twenty-something hairpins, each with a different type of decoration. It held no interest for Plagg. Like everything else in the cave, he had seen hairpins before.

 _"But who cares? No big deal,"_ Adrien sadly sang, as he closed the box, put it down, and then laid back down on the rock. _"I want more."_

Plagg looked at his holder sadly. He wanted to be back up on land, too. Unknown to them, Nathalie was still watching and looking around the place.

 _"I wanna be where the heroes are. I wanna see…"_ Adrien sang, before turning to a wind-up music box that had two people, a man and a woman, standing back-to-back with each other, holding out weapons. He fiddled with it, turning the figurines around. _"Wanna see em' fighting. Running around on those – what do you call em'?"_

Plagg came forward and gestured to his hind feet. Adrien tickled them, while singing, _"Oh, feet."_

Nathalie crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and sighed with a slight shake of her head. As far as she was concerned, everything Adrien was talking about was pure nonsense.

 _"Flippin' these fins, I don't get too far."_ Adrien sang, while demonstrating that every fin stroke did not propel him a significant distance.

 _"Legs are required for jumping, dancing, strolling along down a – what's that word again? Street."_ Adrien sang, as he grabbed Plagg by his paws and started to mimic the movements, and then pretended that he and his little friend were talking a walk along the street.

After that, Adrien let go and started to swim up towards the ceiling of the cave. He was slowly turning around as he ascended, slightly dancing in a way.

 _"Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun!"_ Adrien sang, as he kept spinning around, twirling around and smiling brightly.

 _"Wanderin' free! Just want to be part of that world!"_ Adrien sang, as he looked up at the sunlight coming in through the ceiling.

 _"What would I give if I could live out of these waters?"_ Adrien sang.

Nathalie kept walking around, looking at all of the human trinkets Adrien had allocated. She looked into the glass of a porcelain piece, and seeing her reflection and how misshapen it looked, she screamed in fright and then ran backwards into a lidded mug. The lid slammed shut, trapping her inside.

 _"What would I pay to spend a day warm on the sand?"_ Adrien crooned, while gently floating onto the cavern floor, and rubbing his back like he was lying on the sand of the beach.

Plagg followed suit, burying himself in the wet sand underneath.

Adrien turned and laid on his stomach and put a hand to his cheek, with a frustrated look on his face. He then sang, _"Betcha on land, they understand. Bet they don't scold their sons or daughters."_

Adrien sat up and sang, _"I'm a young man, sick of swimmin'…"_

 _"Ready to stand!"_ He sang, as he started to rapidly swim up, did a loop and then swam up to one of the higher shelves in the cavern.

Plagg had followed him as fast as he could, and then Adrien picked up a book off the shelf.

 _"And ready to know what the humans know,"_ Adrien sang, flipping through the book's pages and showing the images to his kwami. He then shut it and hugged it to his chest. _"Ask em' my questions and get some answers!"_

Meanwhile, Nathalie was rolling around in the mug, bumping into things and trying her best to get out, with the merboy and kwami none the wiser.

Adrien approached a picture with a woman that was sitting at a table and it had a lit candle in the image. Adrien touched the flame on the painting's candle.

 _"What's a fire and why does it – what's the word? Burn! When's it my turn?"_ Adrien sang, before looking back up to the ceiling again and swimming up once more. _"Wouldn't I love…"_

 _"Love to explore that shore up above…"_ Adrien sang, as he reached his hand out through the ceiling's hole.

 _"Out of the sea… Just want to be…"_ Adrien sang, gently floating back down onto the rock. Plagg looked at him sadly as his holder looked up to the surface with a wistful look. _"Part of that world…"_

Both kwami and merboy were looking up to the surface's light, yearning for a chance to be on land.

However, the moment was to be interrupted. The mug Nathalie was trapped in rolled off a few shelves, broke into pieces, and then she was thrown around by some of the other objects in the cave.

She had landed on the lid of a jack-in-the-box, was thrown up into the shelf above before falling back onto the toy, and this time she got thrown up once more. She grabbed on to one of the sheets, but she wound up pulling that down, along with a lot of other objects.

Nathalie wound up falling onto an accordion, and the loud crash startled the merboy and his kwami.

Turning around to the source, they saw Nathalie being carried up and down by the accordion while having a teacup on her back, a snarfblat in her mouth, amongst other silly sights. Plagg could not resist laughing at the crab. Adrien was a bit more sympathetic.

"Wha – Nathalie?! What the shell are you doing in here?!" Adrien said, surprised to see his father's assistant in the grotto.

"Adrien… How could-? Why would-?! What _IS_ all of this?!" Nathalie said, her voice stern, her face still stone, and her thinly-veiled anger and shock radiating.

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, before telling her, "My collection."

"I see… Your collection," Nathalie said, with a fake smile on her face and holding a fisherman's hook in one of her claws, before throwing off all of the items in rage. _"IF YOUR FATHER KNEW…!"_

"Don't you _DARE_ say anything, Nathalie!" Plagg demanded, almost threatening the crab. He got in her space, glaring harshly. "Adrien needs to be allowed to cut loose and have freedom and fun! Ratting him out to his father is the _last_ thing he needs!"

" _Please_ keep this on the DL! He'd never understand. He hardly understands anyway." Adrien said, clasping his hands together, pleadingly.

"I am to keep you under surveillance on your father's orders," Nathalie said, readjusting her glasses and leveling her gaze on the prince. "I…"

"Adrien is under _enough_ pressure as it is, and now you're keeping tabs on him because of his dad?!" Plagg asked, appalled.

"Yes," Nathalie said. "His Majesty demands it, thinking it's in Adrien's best interest."

"So, the king thinks that keeping Adrien on a short seaweed leash is "in his best interest?"" Plagg asked, before rolling his eyes and growing sarcastic. "Yeah, _that's_ going to be helpful!"

Adrien sighed in annoyance. He should have expected this out of his father. No matter what Adrien tried, Gabriel just got stricter and stricter with him. It was getting to become too much, and he was about to snap.

"At any rate, we are going to go back to the castle and…" Nathalie began, making her way to the cave exit.

However, Adrien was about to flat-out refuse when he noticed a dark shadow passing over the ceiling. He looked up, trying to identify what it was.

"What could that…? Plagg, come on, let's check it out!" Adrien said, as he swam out of the cave to go and take a look.

Plagg followed suit, shouting, "Wait for me!"

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked, as she followed the boys out of the cave. "Adrien, what are you doing?"

Adrien saw the shadow of the hull of a boat was still up on the surface and swam up to see what was happening. Plagg managed to keep close behind.

"Awesome! This is going to be great!" Adrien said, delighted that he was going to probably see a human ship.

What he did not know, was that this was going to be the start of a series of events that would change his life forever. And it would start with just one look and one beat of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up, the moment you've all been waiting for! Adrien meeting, rescuing, and falling in love with Marinette! You'll figure out what Nino's role is in the next chapter, too.
> 
> Oh, and the brooch in the flashback in this chapter was supposed to be designed after the Peacock Miraculous.


	3. Romance at Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien watched a ship filled with humans on top of the water, and discovers more Miraculous owners on the boat. 
> 
> One girl in particular catches his eye: the owner of the Ladybug Miraculous, Marinette. 
> 
> But a storm puts the girl and her friends in danger, and while they leap into the fray to handle it, that doesn't stop Adrien from wanting to help.

Once they broke the surface, Plagg's movements were faster and less labored. Adrien saw a large ship, and there were red, green, and orange fireworks being fired into the sky from the deck.

Seeing all the bright colors, Adrien's eyes widened with curiosity, and he muttered, "Wow…"

"It's been a while since I've seen a ship that huge." Plagg said, happy at the familiar scene.

"Adrien, what's going…?" Nathalie asked, as she breached the water. She then followed the blonde's line of sight to see the ship. "Sweet seabass!"

Adrien was totally excited and he wanted to see more, so he started to swim over to the ship to take a look, breaching the water and diving down to pick up speed. Plagg was above water and was following his holder, able to keep pace with the merboy.

"Kid, wait up!" Plagg shouted.

"No! Adrien, get back here, please!" Nathalie shouted after Adrien, staying in place. But her pleas fell on deaf ears.

Adrien approached the boat and saw that there was an opening that acted as a window. Underneath was a ledge that Adrien could use to sit on.

"I'll head up and meet you there." Plagg said, as he started flying up to the opening.

Meanwhile, Adrien used his upper body strength to climb up, eager to watch the humans. He also held on to the ropes for extra leverage and he soon made it up to his little "seat" where Plagg was waiting for him.

Adrien sat down on his new little perch and peeked inside. He smiled as he watched the humans dancing and playing instruments. It was clearly a party of some sort, and the people were certainly enjoying themselves, too.

In front of the bandstand was another human boy around Adrien's age. He had short, black hair, golden eyes, dark skin, was wearing a red cap on his head, glasses, was wearing a blue shirt and wearing orange headphones around his neck. He also had had blue-gray jeans and was wearing red and white high-top sneakers. On his right wrist were bands of many different colors while his left wrist had a bracelet with a light-green stone shaped like a turtle. The string was tied in the head on one end and the tail of the other end to make the loop. The stone also had five triangle carvings and some carvings on the edge.

He was leading the band in the song with pride.

As Adrien and Plagg watched, the kwami noticed something in the center of the boat. Three somethings, actually.

He saw Tikki, Trixx, and one more kwami. He was small, light green, with an antenna on his head. He had green eyes with yellow sclera, and a slightly darker green shell on his back, with a short, pointed tail. All three of them were floating around and dancing to the music on the boat. They clearly looked like they were having fun.

"Hey, are those…?" Plagg quietly murmured as he started to make his way inside the ship to get a better look, but Adrien grabbed him and immediately yanked him out of sight.

"Plagg, don't you _dare!_ " Adrien said in a hushed whisper. "You can't just go in and snag cheese! What were you-"

"There might other Miraculous owners on the boat." Plagg stated, interrupting his holder.

Adrien's eyes widened, and he quietly whispered, "Other ones?"

"Yeah. Three of them," Plagg said, as he wriggled out of Adrien's hand and pointed to the dancing kwamis on the boat. "See those creatures over there?"

Adrien looked where Plagg was pointing and saw the three kwamis dancing to the music, floating around in the air and playing with the other humans.

"Yeah. Are those kwamis?" Adrien inquired.

"Right," Plagg said. "First off, the orange one with the thick tail is Trixx. She's the kwami of the Fox necklace, which grants the power of illusion. The green one is Wayzz, the kwami of the Turtle bracelet, which gives its user the power of protection. Finally, the red one is Tikki, the kwami of the Ladybug earrings, which give the holder the powers of good luck and creation."

"Good luck and creation… That's the opposite of _us_." Adrien said, surprised at hearing this information.

"Yeah, that's why Tikki and my holders tend to be partners. Ladybugs and black cats are yin and yang – they balance each other out. Anything you can destroy, she can repair when everything is done." Plagg said, explaining the concept.

As Plagg was talking, the kwamis had suddenly stopped dancing. They had picked up on another kwami's aura and presence. They were looking around, trying to pinpoint the location.

"Are you guys sensing another kwami around, or is it just me?" Tikki asked.

"No, I'm sensing another one of us nearby too," Wayzz answered. "But where…"

"It's coming from over there!" Trixx said, pointing towards Adrien and Plagg's hiding spot.

Noticing the kwamis were coming their way, Plagg and Adrien ducked down to hide.

"Hey, what are you three doing here?" A girl's voice said.

The kwamis stopped, turned around, and floated away from Adrien and Plagg. They sighed in relief.

"Sorry, but we thought we sensed another kwami close by." Tikki said.

"Really?" The same voice said, as the sound of footsteps could be heard.

"Yes, from over there." Wayzz replied, pointing over to where Plagg and Adrien were hiding.

"Well, we can worry about that later," Tikki said with a smile in her voice. "Happy Birthday, Marinette!"

Adrien got back up to take a look. He watched as Tikki hugged and nuzzled Marinette's cheek, who was giggling in response and holding the kwami close to her face.

His eyes widened when he saw the girl.

Her eyes were the most stunning shade of blue. Even the ocean could not compare to her sapphire orbs. Her hair was as dark as the night sky, skin like freshwater pearls with a healthy amount of color, and her lips reminded him of some of the pink corals in Atlantica. Adrien could not stop gazing at the girl, for she was the most heavenly creature he had ever laid his eyes on. He kept staring at her, admiring her features and how she and her kwami seemed to be very close.

Seeing Marinette and Tikki playing together was a very cheerful sight to behold. A calm smile crept up onto Adrien's face and his eyelids drooped a bit. His heart beat a little faster and a slight blush started to dust his face.

Plagg noticed Adrien's expression. He'd seen that look before, and it had "smitten kitten" written all over it. Plagg waved a hand in front of Adrien's eyes, but the merboy did not look away from Marinette.

"Hey guys! What a party, eh?" Kim said, as he had flown in to check out the commotion.

This is what snapped Adrien out of his trance.

"Keep it down, Kim! We can't let them notice we're here!" Adrien said, hushing the seagull, with Plagg nodding in agreement.

"Oh, I get you!" Kim said, landing next to Adrien to take a look. "We're here incognito, _READY TO DISCO-"_

Adrien grabbed Kim's beak to keep it shut before the bird could say anything else.

"I've _never_ been _this close_ to a human before," Adrien sweetly said. He propped his face up on one hand and was still dreamily looking at Marinette, his eyes never leaving her. He watched as she and Tikki laughed and played with each other. "Isn't she stunning?"

Kim was unsure of which girl Adrien was referring to, so he didn't answer. Rather, he kept watching as the party continued on.

However, Trixx caught sight of her holder and flew over to Alya. Alya herself walked over to the man leading the music and whispered in his ear.

He turned to her and gave her a "perfect" sign with his hand before stopping the music.

The band stepped away to make space for Alya. Alya then stood up on the stand, with Trixx flying next to her.

"Alright, everyone! Silence, _s'il vous plaît!_ " Alya called out, getting everyone's attention. "My beloved fiancé, Nino Lahiffe, and I are honored to present our cherished Princess Marinette with a big, beautiful, expensive birthday gift!"

Everyone, kwamis included, started applauding as Alya gestured over to something very large under a brown tarp. Trixx and Wayzz made their way over to the surprise gift.

"Alya, Nino, you shouldn't have!" Marinette said, as she ran over to her best friend and gave her a hug. She also shared a fist bump with Nino.

"Come on, Marinette, of course we had to," Alya said. "You and I have been best friends ever since we were babies!"

"Yeah, and that was before Tikki and I were in the picture." Trixx said, as she and Tikki shared a high five.

"And if not for you, I wouldn't be engaged to Alya," Nino said, as he held Alya's hand. "You were the one who encouraged me to make a move and ask her out to begin with."

"Nino's right," Wayzz said. "Marinette, all of us owe you eternal gratitude."

"Wayzz, you shouldn't be so formal, especially at a time like this." Marinette said, giggling.

"Enough with the suspense," Alya said, excited. She and Nino ran over to the cloth and grabbed it. "Happy Birthday, Marinette!"

They yanked the brown cloth off to reveal a stone statue of Marinette as her alter-ego, Ladybug, in one of her heroic poses. Standing tall, hands on her hips, a big smile on her face.

Marinette and Tikki just gawked at it in shock and surprise. They were unsure of what to say. On the one-hand, it was well-made, on the other hand, Marinette was too modest to be comfortable with being portrayed in such an... _extravagant_ way.

"Wow, Nino, Alya… It's…" Marinette began, unsure of what to say. "It's… Certainly something."

"Sweet, isn't it?" Nino asked, delighted. "We had it commissioned to Nathaniel. Poor dude, must have pulled a lot of all-nighters to get this done."

"I'm sure he did." Marinette said, worried for the red-headed artist.

"We _did_ plan to give this to you as a wedding present." Alya admitted.

"Alya, Nino, how many times do I have to tell you?" Marinette began with a laugh. "You two have just gotten engaged yourselves. Worry about _your own_ wedding before pestering me about marriage."

"She has a point." Nino said with a shrug.

"Besides, I've told you that I couldn't really connect with Théo." Marinette said, her eyes lidding with disappointment.

She started walking over to the edge of the boat, where Adrien and Plagg were hiding. They ducked down.

"You're _both_ artists! He's into sculpting, you're into fashion!" Alya insisted.

"Still, I didn't feel any sparks with him. That, and he had another in his heart," Marinette said. "I saw how close he was with his maid, Mireille. He wanted her and was forcing himself around me, I could tell. Rather than get in their way, I told him that I couldn't bear to see him heartbroken because he had to ignore his feelings for her."

"Marinette, I'm not going to lie to you. You hate liars, after all. I _am_ disappointed that you didn't fall for Théo, but I'm also proud of you. You did the right thing by letting them be happy together." Alya began, trying to empathize with Marinette's viewpoint.

"That's one of your best qualities, Marinette," Tikki said. "You always look out for others' happiness."

Adrien couldn't help but smile and rest a hand on his cheek. Just hearing about how generous and kind this girl was only made him feel more drawn to her.

"But girl, _please_ keep in mind that it's not just Nino and I that want to see you happily married." Alya said, trying to emphasize the importance that Marinette settles down.

"Yeah," Nino agreed. "Your parents and everyone in the kingdom are waiting for your wedding day, too."

"I know, but… Maybe I'm setting the bar a bit too high for finding a husband?" Marinette inquired with a shrug. "Someone kind and smart… Supportive and willing to do the right thing… Steadfast in their values…"

"I don't think your standards are too high at all," Tikki assured. "Besides, if we _could_ find him, maybe the current holder of the Cat Miraculous might be your soulmate."

Hearing that, Adrien and Plagg flinched for a second. Tikki had _no idea_ how ironic that statement was.

In the next instant, Adrien blushed at the thought of being Marinette's soulmate, and a goofy smile grew on his face. He refused to make any noise, though, as he slightly daydreamed about him and Marinette together… with him as a human.

"Come on, Tikki," Marinette said with a giggle and a playful roll of her eyes. "If the Cat Miraculous _was_ active, we would have heard about its holder by now. For all we know, it's probably still dormant, wherever it is."

"That may be so, but let's get back on topic here, dudette," Nino said, crossing his arms. "Everyone is growing impatient for you to get married."

"That's right." Wayzz said.

"Well… I haven't found Mr. Right yet," Marinette conceded with a shrug. "But I'll know it when I meet him. I guess it will just hit me like… A bolt of lightning!"

Right then in the distance, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The wind started to pick up, the boat began to rock, and everyone was looking around in concern.

 _"STORM AT SEA!"_ One of the helmsmen shouted from up near the steering wheel.

"Um… Did I just jinx it?" Marinette sheepishly said, as she grabbed onto the railing to hold herself steady.

"I doubt it." Tikki said.

"Anyway, we'd better batten down the hatches. Alya, Nino!" Marinette said, turning to her friends and giving them a serious look on her face. She was in leader mode. "You know the drill!"

 _"Right!"_ Nino, Alya, and their kwamis declared, ready.

_"Tikki, spots on!"_

_"Trixx, let's pounce!"_

_"Wayzz, shell on!"_

Adrien covered his eyes as he watched the others transform in bright lights. Once the lights died down, Adrien saw the changes they underwent.

Marinette, now Ladybug, was now wearing a skintight, red bodysuit with black spots and a black collar. She had a yo-yo tied to a string on her hips and was wearing a red mask with black spots on it. Her earrings were now red with five black spots each, too. Her hair ties were now red ribbons, as well.

Alya's hair now had become three-toned ombré. The roots were now a red-orange shade that blended into orange further down and the tips were white. Her hair was also in a high ponytail. Her mask was orange with the bottom half being white and there were two black marks on the top half to represent her eyebrows. Atop her head were two orange fox ears that had white insides and black tips. The top of her suit was an overcoat. It was orange, but the front was white and there was a black swan-neck collar, too. The gloves that went up to her mid-upper-arms were black. Attaching the overcoat layer to the vertical front center, with the Fox Miraculous as the zipper. The overcoat had a coattail that looked like a foxtail, and it ended below Alya's knees with a white tip. The suit's bottom layer was orange with a white center in the front and the legs were black starting from her thighs. There was a flute that was attached diagonally on her back.

Nino was now wearing a bodysuit. It was dark green and it had a hoodie on it, and the front of the hood had a silver semicircle. There were red eye designs with black and gold details on the side of the hood, and below the hood's opening were two lighter green ovals. He was wearing goggles that were black with gold lenses, and the collar he was wearing underneath the hood was pure black, too. There were six, light-green hexagons on his suit's front and there were darker green hexagons that acted as his elbow, knee, shoulder, and hip pads. He was wearing the turtle bracelet on his right wrist. He was wearing dark green boots that had an indentation between his big toes and the rest of his toes. There were two indents on both sides of each boot, and dark grey outsoles. Finally, there was a shield on his back that was light green on one side and dark green on the other side.

"Carapace, help the coxswain maintain control of the sails. Rena Rouge, you're in charge of directing the other sailors to help wherever necessary. I'll take the wheel. If any one of us catches sight of _any_ signs of trouble, do whatever you can to mitigate any potential damages. Above all, _only_ use your powers as a _last resort._ With the five-minute countdown on our Miraculouses, we can't afford to take _any_ chances!" Ladybug declared, directing her team.

 _"Understood, Ladybug!"_ The green and orange heroes replied with firm nods. They all ran around the deck to get to their respective stations for their emergency protocol.

Carapace climbed up the rungs of the ladder to get to the sails, and Rena Rouge stayed on the lower deck, trying to call for calm from the sailors.

Adrien was surprised by how the heroes cooperated and how Ladybug took charge of the situation. The red and black-spotted girl had stolen his heart even more. However, that was the least of his concerns for the moment.

The wind picked up and was now blowing even harder and faster, and Adrien, Plagg, and Kim were trying their best to hang on tight.

"This wind is out-of-control-fast!" Kim shouted, but he could not maintain his hold on one of the ropes. He was literally blown away into the wind, shouting Adrien's name.

The rain started getting heavier and it was pounding down on the boat. The wind was causing the waters to swell heavily and the waves were getting larger and more powerful from the forceful gusts. The boat was being heavily rocked around, and at one point, a large wave splashed onto the deck, soaking everyone. Once the water pulled away, everyone was lying on the deck, coughing the water out of their mouths and struggling to stand up. Even Rena Rouge was sopping wet from the water.

Ladybug, noticing the captain had been knocked unconscious, immediately ran up to the steering wheel, which was spinning uncontrollably. She grabbed it, and used all of her physical strength to keep it still.

Thunder kept on flashing and blasting everywhere. Adrien and Plagg were hanging on really tight to the ropes on the boat, but they wound up losing their grip and fell back into the water.

However, Adrien immediately swam back up to the surface, determined to do something to help.

"Adrien, what are you thinking, coming back up during a storm?" Plagg asked, incredulous at his holder.

"I can't just sit by and watch! Isn't it my duty as a Miraculous holder to help in a situation like this?!" Adrien inquired to his kwami.

"Well, _yes_ , but this is _too_ dangerous! And if you _did_ do something, then the whole secret of the merkingdom could be let out! Not to mention, how can your Cataclysm be helpful in something as destructive as a _hurricane?!_ " Plagg stated.

Adrien face-palmed, knowing Plagg was right. However, he looked up and saw something even more horrific happen: a bolt of lightning hit the main sail, setting it on fire. Seeing the danger, Carapace immediately jumped down from the foremast, alongside everyone else.

But there was more trouble: not only was the boat on fire, it was now heading for a larger rock.

 _"CARP!"_ Adrien shouted, scared.

Ladybug saw what was happening, and then she shouted to the crew, _"INCOMING!"_

Everyone immediately started to run. As the boat slammed into the rock, everyone was knocked down. Another large rogue swell made it on deck and it drenched everyone on board. The water wave was so strong that the statue was pushed off the deck and into the water.

 _"Is everyone okay?!"_ Ladybug shouted, trying to take stock of the situation.

"We should be fine, Ladybug!" Carapace said, trying to breathe after getting soaked. Even his shield was not enough to keep him from getting wet.

But their attention was drawn when they saw a ginormous wave heading their way. It was tall enough that it could slam into the boat, cause massive damage and sink it without putting out the conflagration on the ship. Everyone's eyes widened in fear and their blood ran cold at the sight of it.

 _"EVERYONE TO THE LIFEBOAT! NOW!"_ Ladybug shouted as she and the sailors started to run for the lifeboat. She then turned to her turtle ally. _"Carapace! You know what to do!"_

"Right!" Carapace declared as he took his shield off his back and raised it up. _"Shellter!"_

He formed a giant spherical forcefield with the shield. There were green hexagons all around it, too. While everyone was running around in the forcefield to get into the lifeboat, the wave crashed onto the forcefield and all the water was diverted off the boat. Once the wave passed, Carapace brought the forcefield down, ran for the lifeboat and hopped in with Ladybug and the crew.

Once everyone was in the smaller boat and it was floating in the water, Ladybug was about to push off and get to safety.

"Alright, we're… Wait, Rena Rouge… Where is she?!" Ladybug said, as she looked around the lifeboat and saw that the vixen was not with them.

She turned around and saw that Rena had most likely gotten stuck on the boat in all the confusion.

"NO! Rena Rouge!" Ladybug said, as she took a handkerchief from one of the sailors, wrapped it around her face, and then took out her yo-yo. "Carapace, keep everyone safe. I'm going back."

"Ladybug, are you wacked?!" Carapace said, shocked at Ladybug's intentions. "You can't just-"

"This is _my_ best friend and _your_ fiancé we're talking about! You'd _never_ leave her behind at a time like this, and neither will I!" Ladybug declared, as she shot her yo-yo out to the boat, hooked it onto the foremast and she zip-lined onto the deck.

Adrien watched in shock and awe as Ladybug went back into danger head-first. This was completely the opposite of what his father thought humans to be like.

"Rena!" Ladybug shouted, as she ran around the deck to find her friend.

She found that Rena Rouge was stuck. Her foot was caught in a hole in the deck and she could not breathe very well with all of the smoke.

"Rena!" Ladybug sighed with relief, as she ran over to the fox and helped pull her out.

Once the orange-clad girl was freed, she stumbled around before turning to Ladybug.

"Wh-Why did you come back?" Rena hoarsely wheezed. "You should've just left and gotten to safety."

"I'd never abandon you! You're too important to me. Not to mention Nino and your family." Ladybug stated, but now the girls realized that they needed to find a way to escape.

"So now what?" Rena Rouge inquired, coughing again.

 _"Lucky Charm!"_ Ladybug shouted as she shot her yo-yo up in the air.

Adrien watched, both in hope that everything would work out alright, and in curiosity to see what would happen. From what Plagg told him in the past, Lucky Charm was the power of the Ladybug Miraculous. To summarize, it conjured up a seemingly useless, random, ordinary item and then Ladybug would have to figure out how to use it creatively to solve the problem. Like his Cataclysm, after she would use it, she would only have five minutes until she changed back.

In a flurry of ladybugs, a bunch of red and black-spotted logs fell in a pile right in front of her.

"Logs?" Rena choked out, questioningly. "More fuel for the fire, or…?"

Ladybug started looking around, trying to find things to use. She laid eyes on some ropes that were still intact and a pulley that was close to the edge of the boat. She got an idea.

"I've got it!" Ladybug declared.

She ran over to the ropes and then she grabbed them. With Rena Rouge's help, the two of them made a makeshift raft in the blink of an eye. Ladybug took the remaining rope and hooked the raft up to the pulley and then turned to her foxy friend.

"Get on." Ladybug said.

"But what about you?" Rena asked, her voice hoarse from the smoke.

"I'll be along, but you're in worse shape than I am! *cough* Go!" Ladybug said.

Rena Rouge hopped onto the raft, Ladybug pulled the rope and lifted the raft up off the deck. She directed the raft to the water and then quickly lowered the raft until it gently hit the water's surface.

Carapace had the sailors row the lifeboat over to the vixen, but the agile fox jumped the large distance into the lifeboat and hugged the turtle boy. Just then, the last triangle carving on his bracelet changed colors and then his transformation was released. Wayzz flew besides Nino, who was still looking at Rena Rouge with affection and relief.

"Babe! Thank goodness!" Nino said, as he kissed Rena Rouge's cheek.

"Forget me, what about Ladybug…?" Rena Rouge said, as she turned around and saw that Ladybug had given her a salute, saying she was okay.

Adrien, in spite of the fear and stress, couldn't help but smile, smitten by how self-sacrificial Ladybug acted.

Ladybug then let go of the rope, took her yo-yo and started swinging it around so she could use it to get down to the raft.

However, the smoke was getting thicker. She coughed again, in spite of the bandana around her face, and then she turned around. She saw that the fire had spread everywhere. She was almost trapped, save for the only option of literally jumping ship.

Just as she was about to leap off the deck and onto the raft, her eyes laid on something – there was still some gunpowder lying around the boat from the fireworks. The fire was way too close to it.

"Oh no!" Ladybug said, as her eyes widened.

In that second, the fire made contact with the powder, and a huge explosion on the boat occurred. Smoke covered the deck and obscured it from view. The force of the blow caused parts of the ship to fall apart, the boat began to slowly sink, and some of the cargo had become waterlogged.

 _ **"LADYBUG!"**_ Nino and Rena Rouge hollered from the raft and lifeboat. Wayzz watched in horror, too.

Adrien, scared for her safety, immediately swam to the boat, the adrenaline coursing through him. Plagg followed suit. The pair were enduring the high winds, the heavy rains, and the occasional flaming projectiles that were flying from the boat. Whenever something was hurtling towards them, Adrien would duck under the surface. The rain and the water itself were not the primary issue, but it was still a real obstacle.

"I've _got_ to find her!" Adrien declared to Plagg.

The two of them were looking around the wreckage of the boat, trying to find Ladybug, and soon, Plagg noticed a patch of red floating nearby.

"Over there!" Plagg shouted, pointing behind Adrien.

He turned around and saw Ladybug hanging onto a piece of wood. She had been knocked out cold from the explosion.

She lost her grip and slipped into the water. Adrien, in a panic, dove under and saw Ladybug was floating down aimlessly.

He rushed to her and pulled her up from behind. Adrien swam to the surface while using one of his arms to hold onto Ladybug. He made sure her head was above the water so she could breathe.

"Kid, we need to get her to shore! This way!" Plagg declared, as he led Adrien away from the danger zone and the remaining fireworks that were blowing up in the sky.

Adrien swam with all of his might to get to the nearest beach.

* * *

Once they were on the shore, Adrien gently laid Ladybug onto the sand and he stayed close to her. Plagg was floating around, and Kim had rendezvoused with them as soon as the storm calmed.

"She can't be… Dead, can she?" Adrien asked, worried for the girl.

"You got to her fast enough, so it's unlikely..." Plagg began, but he soon noticed Kim was putting her foot to his ear.

"I'm not getting a heartbeat…" Kim said sadly.

Plagg merely sighed in annoyance and shook his head. No one could hear a human pulse listening to the foot, not that Kim knew that.

"Wait, hold on! She's breathing!" Adrien said, watching Ladybug's chest rising and falling, and the sound of air coming in and out. He was relieved.

Just then, her Miraculous timed out and in a flash of pink light, Tikki flew out from the earrings. However, the kwami was also exhausted and unconscious, so she merely landed on Marinette's chest to rest.

Plagg looked at Adrien and saw that he was still gazing at Marinette with affection in his eyes and a smile on his face. If the merboy thought she was attractive from a distance, then she was absolutely breathtaking in person. It was like her pretty lips were just _made for_ and _begging_ him to kiss. Her raven hair was still wet, but in Adrien's eyes, the seawater did nothing to ruin it. And her medium-length eyelashes cast small shadows on her cute pink cheeks.

"Kid…?" Plagg prodded.

"Plagg… I don't think I've ever seen a girl so beautiful in my life. She's even more gorgeous up close." Adrien said, as he gently ran his fingers through one of Marinette's pigtails.

He then began to tenderly stroke Marinette's cheek. Unable to contain himself, he started to quietly serenade her.

 _"What would I give to live where you are? What would I pay to stay here beside you?"_ Adrien sang, asking the question to Marinette, aware she would be unable to answer.

A wave broke on the beach and Nathalie had washed up on the sand. She looked up and saw Adrien singing to Marinette, the look on his face, everything.

 _"What would I do to see you smiling at me?"_ Adrien trilled in askance.

Nathalie's jaw dropped in shock once she realized what was happening: Adrien had fallen in love with a human. Kim approached and put her mouth back in place. He smiled widely as he watched the merboy, delighted.

 _"Where would we walk? Where would we run? If we could stay all day in the sun?"_ Adrien crooned. Meanwhile, the sun started to rise up behind him.

While Marinette was still out cold, Tikki was a little more conscious. Thus the kwami could _clearly_ tell someone was there. She was also able to sense the same Miraculous aura she and the others had picked up on earlier. But she still couldn't discern which Miraculous it was. Tikki tried to open her eyes, but the sun was too bright.

Hearing the voice and getting aroused from it, Marinette's eyes slowly started to open, too. Feeling someone's hand on her face, Marinette gently took his hand into hers. He entwined their fingers and Adrien gently lifted her hand to touch the back of it to his cheek.

 _"Just you and me. I want to be part of your world."_ Adrien sang, before turning his face to kiss the back of her hand.

Marinette could see a boy with beautiful green eyes sitting above her, but aside from that and his voice, she could not really distinguish anything. The backlighting from the sun made it hard to see, and night's events were not helping her state of mind, either.

"MARINETTE!" Voices shouted in the distance. Adrien recognized them as Marinette's friends.

 _'Shell! I gotta get out of here!'_ Adrien thought, spooked at the idea of getting caught.

Not wanting to leave Marinette's side, but knowing he had to, he quickly kissed Marinette's cheek before diving back into the water, with Plagg following just as fast.

Tikki was now fully awake and she just managed to catch the sight of Adrien's fins in the water before he was gone.

 _'That presence… Was that…?'_ Tikki thought, still sensing another Miraculous from the water.

"Marinette!" Nino shouted, as he, Alya, and their kwamis made it to Tikki and the princess.

"Geez, girl, don't scare us like that!" Alya said, as she helped Marinette stand up. Marinette had fully regained consciousness.

"You _really_ had us worried!" Wayzz scolded.

Marinette rubbed her head to wake herself up. The sound of Adrien's voice was echoing in her mind, and the sensation of someone's lips on her cheek was lingering, but it seemed way too outlandish.

"Ugh…" Marinette moaned, as she blinked and regained her bearings.

Trixx noticed Tikki was watching the water, and then she and Wayzz went over to the red kwami. They could once again tell there was another Miraculous nearby and flew closer to the water to investigate.

"Are you sensing it again?" Trixx asked in a whisper.

"Yes. There's definitely another Miraculous and kwami close by…" Tikki said. Wayzz nodded, too.

"Marinette? You okay, girl?" Alya said, as she waved her hand in front of Marinette's face.

Marinette shook her head and she was then fully conscious.

"What a weird dream... And it seemed so real, too." Marinette finally spoke.

"What kind of dream?" Nino inquired.

"I dreamed that a boy saved me… Eyes like emeralds, and a voice so sweet and calming… Pretty crazy, huh?" Marinette said, before giggling.

"Yeah, it is. But considering what happened, it wouldn't be out of the norm to be dreaming such things," Alya said, as she and Nino helped Marinette to walk. "Let's go. Your parents are going to be relieved that you're safe."

"Tom and Sabine have been _so_ worried." Nino said, as the threesome began to head back to the castle.

"Come on, you three!" Alya said to the kwamis, as they were leaving.

"Marinette?" Tikki began, as she flew over to her holder.

"What is it, Tikki?" Marinette asked.

"…I'm not so sure that was a dream." Tikki said, once again chancing a look back at the water before leaving.

The other kwamis nodded in agreement as they followed their holders.

Adrien and Plagg were watching from behind a rock in the water. Adrien watched the humans and their kwamis leave. He could not take his eyes off of Marinette. He brought his hand up to his lips and touched them. Just the feeling of her cheek against his lips was still fresh in his mind. He was yearning to kiss her again, touch her again, be close to her again.

"Okay, we're all in agreement that if _anyone_ asks, this _never_ happened," Nathalie said in a panic, as she rubbed her head. "The king will _never_ know of this. I won't say anything, neither will you. And we'll all remain intact. Myself, especially."

Plagg already knew that the king would remain in the dark, so he just let Nathalie ramble on.

Adrien also let Nathalie's chatter go in one ear and out the other. He had climbed up onto the rock and stared at the beach. There was a smile on his face and his heart was pounding. The breeze started to blow in his hair, and he once again began to sing.

 _"I don't know when… I don't know how… but I know something's starting right now!"_ Adrien chanted aloud to no one in particular, meanwhile his newfound feelings for Marinette raced through him.

 _"Father, you'll see! Someday I'll be… Part of her world~!"_ Adrien sang, as a wave broke behind him as he sat up on the rock.

His voice carried just enough for the kwamis to take another look behind them, but once again Adrien went unnoticed.

Adrien rested on the rock as he watched Marinette leave with her friends. He sighed affectionately.

However, what the group did not know was that _they_ were being watched, too. Chloé and Lila had seen the whole thing, and thus so did Hawkmoth.

Witnessing everything from his lair, he was laughing in both amusement and delight.

"I can't _believe_ how perfect this is! It's getting easier and easier!" Hawkmoth laughed while rubbing his fists in delight. "The boy has fallen in love with a human girl! And _a princess_ at that!"

Hawkmoth smirked evilly once he calmed down. He said, "Oh, his father is going to _absolutely love it_. King Gabriel's obdurate and lovelorn baby boy will be the _perfect_ addition to my little swarm of akumas, won't he?"

He looked over to a group of white butterfly fish who were looking at him, all trembling and squeaking in fear.

Hawkmoth started laughing louder and more maniacally as he started formulating a plan to get the throne… Using Adrien.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's in love! And now he wants to live life in the human world even more! But Hawk Moth is on to him and wants to use him to overthrow Gabriel! This is going to get interesting. 
> 
> Coming up, Adrien's mind is occupied by the beautiful princess and Gabriel is wondering who the lucky mermaid that stole his son's heart is.


	4. Busted!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we're going to be cooking with gas here! Adrien has Marinette on his mind 24/7, but when his father finds out what happened... Well... I'm sure you'll see.

Days passed by, but Adrien couldn't forget about Marinette. She was all he could think of, day and night. He would be humming to himself, his mind fully occupied by Marinette in the daytime. When asleep, he'd dream of all the romantic moments the two of them could have, and all the adventures that he'd be able to enjoy with her and her friends if he had legs.

He could hardly focus on anything else because he was so distracted by his smitten thoughts of the human princess he'd rescued.

One morning, Plagg couldn't stand his holder's lovesick state, so he supposedly went out on his own to get away from it all for a while. Since Adrien was preoccupied by his thoughts of Marinette, he brushed it off as nothing. He was sitting in his room, fiddling with some anemones and humming the song he sang to her.

Unlike humans, merpeople were immune to a lot of the toxins and dangers of the ocean. For example, sea urchin or lionfish venom stings had no effect on them. It helped that they could communicate with sea creatures, too.

Félix had come back from the morning patrol with the royal guard. Although his morning was copacetic, he had noticed that Adrien had been acting weird and he had not emerged from his room. Félix knocked a few times on the side of the door.

"Adrien?" Félix said, before knocking again. "Aren't you going to come out? It's nearly noon!"

On cue, Adrien swam out into the shared area, the anemone in his hand. He swam in front of the vanity, took out a seashell comb, and combed his hair, humming all the while.

Félix gawked at Adrien and scratched his chin, trying to piece something together.

"What has gotten into you?" Félix asked rhetorically. He had never seen his brother act this way. It was completely foreign to him, like he had seen a land animal in the water.

Adrien once again did not answer, and then Gabriel came into the room to check on his sons.

Adrien swam past his father, cheerfully saying, "Morning, father."

Gabriel didn't answer as Adrien swam off, twirling and daydreaming, humming aloud.

Félix came next to his father, sighed, crossed his arms, and said, "Sheesh… He's got it _hard_."

"What do you mean, Félix?" Gabriel asked his eldest.

"Father, don't you know a lovestruck merman when you see one?" Félix stated, a smirk growing on his face. "Adrien's in love. It's palpable."

"Adrien… In love?" Gabriel said aloud, a rare smile coming onto his face.

At a reef nearby the castle, Adrien was lying on a rock, once again daydreaming about his beloved Marinette. He was on his back and looking up to the surface, wondering what his dear princess was doing at that very moment. Saving some humans from danger with her friends? Playing with Tikki? He remembered Alya mentioning she was into fashion, so he also entertained the idea of Marinette working on human clothing.

"It looks like His Majesty is none the wiser so far," Nathalie said, maintaining calm while pacing around. "But keeping this a secret for the long-term _won't_ be an easy feat."

While she was not watching, Adrien had started muttering things aloud, as if he were talking to Marinette herself.

"My lady… No, too formal…" Adrien began, as he took up some more flowers. "Bugaboo… No, not formal _enough_ …"

Adrien took a deep breath and then started once again, practicing what he would say to the girl, "Alright… "Hello, Princess Marinette. My name's Adrien, and I'm the one who saved you during that storm…" Yeah, that might work!"

Feeling more confident, he once again heaved a dreamy sigh and then took to plucking the petals from the flowers he was holding.

He started saying, "She loves me… She loves me not… She loves me... She loves me not..."

Adrien kept going until he got to the last petal. Once he saw what he landed on, he smiled brightly and said, "Yes! My lady loves me!"

He started laughing happily and then he kissed the petal before letting it float away.

"Adrien! Quit rambling like a mad-merman!" Nathalie said, as she ran up to Adrien and confronted him. "Aren't you even the _slightest_ bit worried about being found out?"

Adrien was still in la-la-land, so rather than address Nathalie's concerns, he sighed dreamily before placing a hand to his cheek again. Once more, his mind wandered to Marinette and how much he loved her. And how could he not love her? Not only was she absolutely beautiful, but she was selfless, brave, and courageous. Generous, sweet, and kind. Sensitive, empathetic, and understanding. What a girl! None of the mermaids he met in Atlantica could compare to Marinette. The majority of them were spoiled and superficial.

While thinking about his princess, Adrien got an idea and smiled brightly.

"I'm going to go see her again. Tonight! I'm sure Kim will know where I can find her!" Adrien said, as he swam off.

Nathalie grabbed onto his fins and tried to talk sense into him, shouting, "Adrien, get your head out of the clouds and back in the water! That's where it's _meant_ to be!"

Still tuning Nathalie out, Adrien said, "I'll swim over to her castle! Then I'll send Plagg up to get Tikki's attention, and he'll have her lead Marinette to me so we can…"

"You belong _down here._ " Nathalie shouted, once again trying to get Adrien to pay attention to her.

She swam in front of him, and just then, music started to play. Nathalie told Adrien, "Listen to me. The human world is a disaster. Life under the waters is much better than whatever they have up on land!"

Nathalie sat Adrien down and decided to cut loose. As the music kept playing, Nathalie started to sing.

Her abilities in music and her passion for it were huge secrets from the king. She had always planned to tell him one day, but with all of her responsibilities, she could never find the chance. That, and she was too scared to say anything to him.

 _"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake."_ Nathalie sang, but noticed that Adrien was still distracted and looking up to the surface, thinking about Marinette.

 _"You dream about going up there, but that is a big mistake!"_ Nathalie sang, as she swam in front of Adrien's face and made him face her with her claw. Adrien merely rolled his eyes, paying no mind to the crab's claims.

 _"Just look at the world around you right here on the ocean floor."_ Nathalie sang. She gestured to their surroundings and tried to get Adrien to see the beauty in it all.

 _"Such wonderful things surround you! What more are you looking for?"_ Nathalie sang, meanwhile some fish swam in circles around Adrien, and he smiled as all of the bubbles swirled around him.

 _"Under the sea! Under the sea! Young man it's better, down where it's wetter, take it from me!"_ Nathalie sang, and she landed on Adrien's fin to try and convince him to stay under the waters and not bother with humans.

 _"Up on the shore they work all day, out in the sun they slave away!"_ Nathalie sang, as she mimicked the movements and pushing heavy items and sweating like nuts.

 _"While we're devoting full-time to floating under the sea!"_ Nathalie crooned while jumping off of Adrien's fin and started to float around.

She saw a lobster drumming on some large-lipped clams and then Nathalie joined in on the drumming.

She and the lobster shared a side hug and then the two of them began to sing together.

 _"Down here all the fish is happy!"_ The sang together, with Nathalie finishing off with, _"As off through the waves they roll!"_

A dolphin did some loops and producing lots of bubbles before swimming off in joy.

 _"The fish on the land ain't happy."_ Nathalie and the lobster sang.

A larger fish was in a larger bubble, and Nathalie sang, _"They sad cause they in their bowl."_

Seeing the fish like that made Adrien feel a little guilty, but then Nathalie swam over to him.

 _"But fish in the bowl is lucky. They in for a worser fate!"_ Nathalie sang, before swimming back to the bubble. _"One day, when the boss get hungry…"_

She used her claw to pop the bubble and the giant fish landed on a coral plateau that mimicked a serving dish.

The fish sadly gestured to himself before singing, _"Guess who's gon' be on the plate?"_

Adrien shuddered at this thought. He was _fully aware_ that humans ate fish, nor was he going to refute that point.

On the other side of that coin, a lot of creatures in Atlantica and all over the ocean floor would hunt and eat fish and other sea animals, too. Wasn't that... how did humans say it? The pot calling the kettle black?

 _"Under the sea! Under the sea!"_ Nathalie continued.

Adrien just kept lying on his back on the rock, not paying attention. He fingered at a few flowers, but they turned out to be the tufts of some small seahorses.

They all flew out and started to swim around him. The tickling sensation made Adrien laugh a bit.

 _"Nobody beat us, fry us and eat us in fricassee!"_ Nathalie sang, while the seahorses kept on playing with the young merboy.

Nathalie kept on skipping and singing. She approached a clam and continued.

 _"We're what the land folks loves to cook! Under the sea, we off the hook!"_ Nathalie sang, as she opened up the clam, put a bunch of fish hooks inside and slammed it shut, like a trash can.

She then ran off as the clam spat the hooks out. Next to some snails, Nathalie ducked the hooks and sang, _"We got no troubles, life is the bubbles under the sea!"_

 _"Under the sea!"_ The snails sang.

 _"Under the sea! (Under the sea!)"_ The snails sang in round with Nathalie.

 _"Since life is sweet here, we got the beat here naturally! (Naturally!)"_ Nathalie sang, as she started to conduct a small orchestra to play more music.

 _"Even the sturgeon an' the ray. They get the urge 'n' start to play!"_ Nathalie sang, and on cue, a sturgeon and a small ray started to play music together. The sturgeon had started blowing some coral pieces like horns while the ray treated some other pieces like maracas.

 _"We got the spirit, you gotta to hear it under the sea!"_ Nathalie sang, continuing to lead the song while treating some clams like drums.

 _"The newt play the flute, the carp play the harp! The plaice play the bass, and they sounding sharp!"_ Nathalie sang, as she gestured to each sea creature and what instrument they were playing.

There was a small newt who was playing a makeshift flute out of some coral, and then there was a carp who was playing a harp made of a nautilus's tentacles, who had given the fish permission to play the instrument. Then a plaice was using octopus tentacles to play some bass music.

 _"The bass play the brass, the chub play the tub, the fluke is the duke of soul (Yeah)!"_ Nathalie sang, as she gestured to some fish playing coral trumpets, a chub fish using its fins to beat some other corals to play some music, and then to a fish who had a coral saxophone.

 _"The ray, he can play! The ling's on the strings!"_ Nathalie sang, as a ray was drumming on some shells and corals, and a ling was playing a violin using a jellyfish's tentacles.

 _"The trout rockin' out! The blackfish, she sings!"_ There were a pair of trout who were dancing and spinning while a black fish was singing out loud with gusto.

 _"The smelt and the sprat, they know where it's at! An' oh, that blowfish blows!"_ Nathalie continued to sing, as some more fish gathered to the party and started to dance and have fun.

There were tons of sea creatures singing and dancing to the music, and no one was really paying attention to Adrien. Thus, Adrien could get away with disregarding everything that was going on around him and he continued daydreaming about Marinette.

Plagg arrived soon thereafter, and he was surprised at the scene. What surprised him even more was the fact that Nathalie was the one who was leading it.

"What do you know? I didn't think Nathalie was the musical type." Plagg commented. He managed to duck and dodge all of the sea life, trying to find his holder.

He soon found Adrien sitting on the rock and then he swam over to the merboy.

"Adrien!" Plagg shouted, as he started to catch his breath.

"There you are, Plagg," Adrien said, as he caught sight of his kwami. "Where have you been?"

"You'll _never_ believe what I found!" Plagg said, whispering in Adrien's ear. "And you'd better be grateful for it, too. It's at the grotto!"

Adrien smiled and he and Plagg managed to swim away without anyone noticing.

Nathalie kept leading the music, not realizing the merboy and kwami had left the scene.

 _"YEAH! Under the sea! (Under the sea!) Under the sea! (Under the sea!)"_ Nathalie sang, with many of the sea creatures singing along in round.

 _"When the sardine begin the beguine it's music to me (it's music to me!)!"_ Nathalie sang, as she rode on some sardines before landing on the sand.

Nathalie buried herself in the sand. She was on a roll.

 _"What do they got? A lot of sand! We got a hot crustacean band!"_ Nathalie sang, as she threw some sand around before gesturing to the band.

Everyone was still playing music like no one's business, and they were all having so much fun.

 _"Each little clam here know how to jam here under the sea!"_ Nathalie crooned, as some clams were snapping, and then some slugs began to dance with each other. _"Each little slug here, cuttin' a rug here under the sea!"_

 _"Each little snail here know how to wail here! That's why its hotter under the water!"_ Nathalie sang, as a snail blew into a coral instrument and then she joined all of the other musician fish.

 _"Ya we in luck here down in the muck here under the sea!"_ Nathalie sang, riding on a large bubble, before the scene changed to everyone and every piece of music being played.

Everyone then pointed to where Adrien was sitting, only to see that he was gone.

"Adrien?" Nathalie asked, as everyone started to sadly leave. "Ugh, the _one time_ I come out of my shell, and he doesn't listen. Someone has to anchor him down to the ocean floor."

Luckily, in spite of Adrien not paying her warnings any heed, all of the fish gave Nathalie compliments about her musical talents, so it was not all for naught. She felt a lot better at hearing their praises for her work.

"Nathalie!" A seahorse shouted, as he came upon the scene and started looking around. He soon spotted the crab. "There you are!"

"What's the matter?" Nathalie asked, resuming her professional demeanor.

"The king wants to talk to you about Adrien!" The seahorse reported.

Nathalie slightly paled a bit before quietly thinking aloud, " _Mon dieu_... The king knows…"

* * *

In the throne room, Gabriel had a small smile, absolutely delighted that Adrien had fallen in love.

"Adrien's in love… Now, I wonder: who's the lucky mermaid?" Gabriel wondered aloud, a smirk quirking up.

He wanted to give Adrien advice on how to win the girl over. After all, Gabriel had been young and in love once too during his relationship with Queen Emilie, so he knew how Adrien was feeling. Heck, Gabriel was even plotting wedding preparations in his mind.

Gabriel immediately noticed Nathalie was waiting at the entrance of the door to the room, and immediately resumed his usual stern expression.

"Nathalie. Come in." Gabriel began, gesturing for Nathalie to enter.

Nathalie took a deep breath and retained her usual cold, professional attitude. As she scurried over to Gabriel, she was thinking a mantra to herself to stop herself from cracking.

"You wanted to see me, sire?" Nathalie said, being her usual self.

"I'm worried about Adrien," Gabriel began. He intended on being playful and teasing towards Nathalie, which was _**rare for him**_ , in order to learn about the mermaid Adrien loved. "Have you noticed that he's been acting odd as of late?"

"Odd? How so?" Nathalie asked, her eyes darting about. She could feel her legs begin to shake, but she remained calm.

"Odd as in daydreaming, humming to himself, swimming around aimlessly?" Gabriel said, a teasing smile upon his lips. "I assume you've noticed?"

Seeing Gabriel act this way only gave Nathalie _more_ reason to believe that the catfish was out of the bag.

"No." Nathalie said.

"Nathalie," Gabriel said, making a "come here" motion with his finger. Nathalie swam up to the throne's armrest, still freaking out inside. "I know you've been hiding something from me."

"Oh, have I?" Nathalie asked rhetorically. "Why would I do that?"

"Hiding something about Adrien…" Gabriel said, a smile still on his face.

One could compare him to a gossiping teenage mermaid with his current demeanor and attitude, but this apparently went unnoticed by Nathalie. It didn't help that she was used to seeing him with a scowl on his face. It'd been like that ever since the queen passed.

"A-Adrien…?" Nathalie repeated, coughing into her claw.

"…In love?" Gabriel said, before giving Nathalie a toothy grin. He was anticipating the moment where Nathalie would tell him the name of the mermaid who had won over Adrien.

At that, Nathalie cracked.

"I-I-I… He wouldn't… He and Plagg… Adrien… In love… _Human girl!_ Tried to get him to stop, but…!" Nathalie babbled, trying to make a coherent thought, when "human girl" slipped out.

Gabriel _definitely_ heard Nathalie mention humans.

"What was that about humans?" Gabriel demanded, his voice dropping several octaves and growing cold.

Nathalie pinched the bridge of her nose where her glasses were.

 _'Too late…'_ Nathalie internally thought. She started to tell the king everything from the start…

* * *

Adrien and Plagg had gone to the grotto, and as Adrien moved the rock, he asked Plagg, "Come on, Plagg, tell me what's going on."

"Then it wouldn't be a surprise, Adrien!" Plagg complained, as he led Adrien inside.

Adrien entered, and what he saw took his breath away: somehow, _some way_ , Plagg had found Ladybug's statue and brought it to the grotto.

"Kid, you okay?" Plagg asked, seeing how shocked his holder was.

"Plagg… You're the best!" Adrien chortled, and then he hugged his kwami in his clasped hands. He'd brought his camembert bag along, and gave the kwami several wheels in gratitude before swimming to the statue. "How did you get this here?!"

"I had help." Plagg said, as he started to gobble the cheese.

There was _no way_ the kwami would admit that he'd enlisted the aid of some of the other sea creatures to move the statue to the grotto, and to swear them to secrecy about it.

"The resemblance to her is uncanny!" Adrien said, delighted. He started swimming around the statue in joy. "It even has her perfectly blue eyes!"

He started stroking the statue's head and giving it a loving gaze, as if he were tenderly touching the real thing.

"Why, my lady… You want me to join your team?! I'd absolutely love to! After all, the Ladybug and the Cat Miraculouses have _always_ been a pair. Yin and yang… _You and me_ … Oh, we're just _fated_ for it!" Adrien said, as if trying to converse with the statue.

He then heaved a romantic sigh before kissing the statue's cheek, imagining that the rough stone was actually Marinette's soft skin. Adrien kept laughing and swimming and twirling in circles around the statue, but when he turned around to the entrance, he screamed in fright. In the shadow was Gabriel, who was looking very angry. Albeit to an outsider, it seemed that his rage was calm in manner.

"F-F-F-Father!" Adrien squeaked, freaking out.

He began to panic, meanwhile Plagg dropped his camembert and swam for cover. Sure, he had lost his grip on his beloved cheese, but he was too scared of Gabriel's fury to be concerned.

Nathalie walked in, scared and guilty. Once Adrien saw this body language, he glared at the crab, realizing she had let the secret out. Nathalie noticed the look Adrien had on his face, and she knew what it said: "Nathalie, how could you?!"

"I've considered myself to be a reasonable merman, Adrien," Gabriel said, anger in his calm tone. "I set the rules, and I _expect_ them to be followed."

Adrien tried to remain calm, lest he start an argument, and stammered, "F-Father, I…"

"Tell me the truth. Did you or did you _not_ prevent a human from drowning? Don't bother lying, because Nathalie informed me of what happened." Gabriel demanded.

"I-I couldn't let her…" Adrien began, but his father cut him off.

"Having any sort of contact with the human world is proscribed, Adrien. _Everyone_ knows that, _including_ you!" Gabriel stated, raising his voice.

"There was _no way_ I was going to let a fellow Miraculous holder die!" Adrien said defensively.

"She would have been one less human to be worried about." Gabriel stubbornly stated, his tone still even.

" _Excuse me?!_ Father, didn't you hear me say that she's another Miraculous holder?!" Adrien asked, astonished that his father would say such a thing.

"It doesn't matter whether she has a Miraculous or not! She's still a human! Just like the ones who took your mother from us! They're all selfish, cowardly savages, and…" Gabriel ranted, but…

"You've got _**NO RIGHT**_ to talk about Marinette like that! You don't even _know_ her! She nearly _died_ trying to save her best friend _and_ all the humans on the ship! How is _that_ anything like you describe them to be?!" Adrien asked, completely angered at his father's comments.

Gabriel paused and was lost for words for a moment. Adrien had a good point. Granted, he was still upset and was about to continue scolding Adrien, but his son kept going, not giving the king an opportunity to speak.

"And about Maman… You're _so traumatized_ by what happened to her that you can't keep an open mind!" Adrien stated, as he hid behind the statue.

"I don't _have_ to keep an open mind! A human is a human is a human! They're all demons that hunt our kind, pollute our waters, not caring about…" Gabriel argued back, but as he carried on, Adrien tuned out while shaking with rage.

He felt that his father was in the wrong for speaking the way he was. Did _he_ witness humans clean up the beaches? Did _he_ watch as humans helped remove oil from the water? Did _he_ see them help beached whales get back into the ocean? Did _he_ observe them keep other humans from eating sea turtle eggs and hatchlings? Did _he_ look on during a hurricane and watch other Miraculous holders in action? Did _he_ see first-hand how self-sacrificing a human girl could be, with or without a Miraculous? The answer to all of these questions was "no" and Adrien knew it.

The sixteen-year-old's anger was worsening, and he was getting very upset that his father kept preaching that humans were nothing but monsters while he knew better. Underlying all of those emotions, the only thing he could think about was his feelings for Marinette.

 _"PÈRE, **JE L'AIME!** "_ Adrien declared, finally snapping.

However, realizing what he had just said, he slapped his hands over his mouth and cowered behind the statue.

 _'Oh, CARP! Now I've done it!'_ Adrien thought, dreading the outcome.

Gabriel was completely shocked, Nathalie scurried behind a rock to hide, and Plagg only crouched lower, trembling with fear. He'd never seen Gabriel _this_ upset before, so the kwami knew that something _atrocious_ was about to go down.

"No… Have you gone insane?!" Gabriel said, his voice rising. _"She's a human; you're a merboy!"_

 _"Irrelevant!_ We're _both_ Miraculous holders and _that's_ what matters!" Adrien stated, not meeting his father's eyes.

Unfortunately, this only made things worse.

"Adrien, I am _going_ to make you see things my way! And if this is the only way to get through to you and how horrid humans are…!" Gabriel began, his trident glowing an angry red.

Adrien's eyes widened and he bit his lip in horror when he saw that Gabriel had snapped. He knew what was coming...

 _"So be it."_ Gabriel declared, his voice hateful and several octaves lower.

He started to fire magic blasts at all of the objects in the cave.

"Father! Don't!" Adrien pleaded with him. He looked around in horror and fear as he saw his father shoot everything in the cave.

Seeing all of the parts of his collection turn into bubbles and pieces with every blast, Adrien tried to get his father to calm his rage and end it.

He helplessly watched a globe get shattered to bits and fall off the shelf, a few dolls get shredded to pieces from a blast, some parts of the wreckage from a bell fall and break shelves, causing the items to fall off and get destroyed. Adrien couldn't help but let tears flow as his father kept firing his trident at everything in sight.

"Father! Stop it, please!" Adrien shouted, as he swam to Gabriel and tried to pull on his arm to end the reign of terror.

However, Gabriel refused to cease. He finally pointed his trident at the most precious thing Adrien had: the statue.

Seeing what was about to happen, Adrien's widened to the size of dinner plates, and he screamed, _**"FATHER, NO!"**_

Without a single moment of hesitation, Gabriel fired at the statue, and it was rendered into a pile of pieces that were scattered everywhere.

Adrien, completely heartbroken, fell onto the rock and started crying. He was too upset to think.

Plagg immediately swam to his holder's side, while shooting an angry glare at the king. Gabriel had _never_ seen his youngest son cry since the loss of the queen. While the king had a sad, somewhat remorseful look on his face, he firmly swam out of the cave.

Adrien kept sobbing heavily. An excessive number of thoughts and feelings were going on in his head at that moment. All of his treasures… All he had about humans… All the memories of the adventures he and Plagg had collecting them… All the dangers they faced... All of the stories that he had heard from Kim… Every little human thing… Including the only piece of his beloved Princess Marinette… _GONE_. And all because his father was too angry and hateful to take perspective, and had no respect for what made Adrien happy. Now the king crossed the line _big time_.

Nathalie tried to approach Adrien and she quietly began, "Adrien… I didn't mean…"

 _"Get out!"_ Adrien coldly shouted in between sobs.

Nathalie gasped. That was the first time she had ever heard Adrien speak with that tone of voice. It sounded _so_ much like Gabriel that it was unnerving. However, she knew Adrien had every right to be angry with her. Thus, she refused to argue and left the cave.

Plagg, sensing that Adrien was in need of some alone time, followed Nathalie out.

Adrien kept on crying, in an abysmal state of mind. He was utterly _sick_ his father's insensitivity. As Adrien carried on with his sobs, he started to think about what kind of life he should truly lead. The only thing that he had under the sea was his collection, and Plagg was his only friend. With the former busted to pieces, he had nothing. He decided in that moment that there was _no way_ he was staying in Atlantica. All he could think about was what his life could be like if he were on land with his dear, sweet princess.

Up in a hole in the cave walls, Chloé and Lila were watching. The butterfly marks appeared on their faces.

"Excellent! You know what to do, girls! Go tempt him…" Hawkmoth commanded from his lair.

The butterfly marks disappeared, and then the eels swam into the cave.

"Poor boy…" Lila said, as the eels approached Adrien.

Hearing voices, Adrien looked up and saw the eels swimming around. He was still choked up and he was wiping away a few tears.

"Poor, sweet boy…" Chloé said, with a pitying tone in her voice. "He's in quite the predicament, isn't he, Lila?"

"Indeed he is, Chloé," Lila said, agreeing with her. "So sad, so alone… If only we could do something to help."

"Lila, did you forget? We can." Chloé said, as she approached her fellow eel.

"Who… Who are you two?" Adrien asked, cautiously.

"There's no need to be frightened. We mean you no harm." Lila stated in a soothing voice.

"We are representatives of one with power comparable to your father's." Chloé said, as she swam around Adrien.

"Someone who can make all of your dreams become reality." Lila added, as she also swam around Adrien's waist.

The sensation made him uncomfortable. The two eels entwined their tails and then they put on romantic faces.

 _"Just think."_ They said together.

"You and your lady…" Lila began, looking at Adrien.

 _"Together… Forevermore."_ The two eels finished in complete sync. This got Adrien's attention. He was all ears now.

"C… Care to elaborate? I'm not sure I get it." Adrien inquired.

"Hawkmoth has the magic strong enough to help." Chloé explained.

Adrien flinched at hearing the name and backed up a bit.

"Whoa, the _sea warlock?!_ I don't think… I'm not sure… No! Please, go!" Adrien demanded, before covering his face and leaning against the rock again.

"Whatever you want." Lila said, as she and Chloé made to leave.

"We were only making a suggestion." Chloé said, but she winked at Lila.

As they were swimming off, Chloé deliberately knocked a piece of the statue over to Adrien. Particularly, what was left of the head.

Adrien, seeing the remainders of Marinette's beautiful face, was reminded of how much he desired to be at her side. Was being in love so wrong? No. And _that_ was the primary reason he was considering what the eels were saying.

But there was more at stake than his love life. He also thought about Plagg. Now that his kwami crossed his mind, there was a question that popped up: what was stopping Plagg from just taking the ring and leaving? If Adrien was the only thing that kept Plagg bound to the sea, then that was even _more_ reason to find a way to join Marinette… To bring Plagg back to the human world, from whence he came. If Adrien saw no point in staying after all of these events, then he was sure Plagg didn't, either. Not only that, the Miraculous were _never_ meant to be in Atlantica to begin with. What was the point in having one if there was no need to use it anyway? Thus, Adrien was sure that he was destined for a much greater purpose on land.

More than anything, though, what he wanted most of all was to be with the girl of his dreams and live his life amongst the humans. The idea of all of this becoming real was, in a word... _miraculous._

 _'Marinette and I will be together... forevermore.'_ Adrien thought, gripping the statue piece with hope in his heart.

Maybe Hawkmoth _could_ help him. Adrien decided that he had nothing to lose, anyway. It was a better option than waiting around for something to happen, _and_ being stuck under the thumb of a tyrannical father with no empathy in the meantime. Adrien would rather die than go back to Gabriel.

"Hold on." Adrien ordered, getting the eels' attention.

"Yes?" They asked, turning back to Adrien. They had anticipated this, since they were planning on it.

"...Lead the way." Adrien said, putting down the statue piece. He took one last look, because he hoped that he could soon see the real thing instead of a chunk of stone.

Chloé flicked her fin to gesture for Adrien to follow them. As they began to swim out of the ceiling, Adrien followed behind them...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming up, Adrien is presented with a deal too dangerous to take, but too good to pass up at the same time. 
> 
> What lengths will he go to for love?


	5. Poor, Unfortunate Merboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien follows the eels into the lair of the wicked Hawk Moth, and is presented with a chance that's too good to be true: a chance to become human. 
> 
> But there's always a catch to deals this good...

Outside the cave, Plagg was worried about Adrien. He had seen Adrien depressed before, but not like _this_.

"The poor kid… See what you've done?!" Plagg said, rounding on Nathalie in anger.

"It was an accident, I swear!" Nathalie stated, guilt and regret in her voice.

"An accident? _An accident_ _?! THAT'S_ your best excuse?! Doesn't matter whether or not you meant for it to happen! No thanks to you, Adrien's _MORE_ miserable down here than ever! Everything we had in that cave was the _only_ thing that kept him here in this drink!" Plagg angrily spat back.

Nathalie went quiet. She never thought of it like that. She then considered how cold and cruel Adrien sounded when he kicked her out. It was _too much_ like his father for the destruction of his collection to be a minor thing to him.

"Now that it's rubble, Adrien probably doesn't see any reason to stick around! In fact, if he decided to just up and leave Atlantica and _never_ look back, I'd _totally_ understand why and be more than happy to go with him!" Plagg ranted.

Just then a shadow came over them. Looking up, the kwami and crab saw Adrien swimming with the eels.

"Adrien, are you okay?" Plagg asked, with genuine concern for Adrien's emotional state.

Adrien refused to answer Plagg. Instead, he just gave him a "come on" gesture with his hand.

"Plagg, let's get out of here," Adrien stated, in a completely cold voice. "We're blowing… How does the saying go?"

"Blowing this pop-stand?" Plagg asked, joining his owner.

"Right, that. We're blowing this pop-stand." Adrien said, as he and Plagg started to follow the eels.

"What?! Where are you going?!" Nathalie asked, swimming in front of Adrien. "Adrien, why are you with this rabble?!"

"I'm going to visit Hawk Moth." Adrien stated matter-of-factly, keeping his eyes away from the crab's. He and Plagg picked up the pace and swam ahead, just behind Chloé and Lila.

Nathalie gasped out, _"Hawk Moth?!"_

She immediately made an effort to stop him and get him to turn back.

"Adrien, are you crazy?! He's bad news, he's…" Nathalie shouted, grabbing onto Adrien's fins.

Adrien only turned his face around and glared at Nathalie. Plagg was eying her with an angry look too. Adrien was clearly still pissed off with her for stabbing him in the back the way she did. Plagg was in full agreement with him.

"Then do _yourself_ a favor and go tell _the king._ That's a job criterion you're a master at." Adrien bluntly said to Nathalie, his rage thinly concealed. He then shook her off and nearly slapped her away with his fins.

Nathalie was still shocked that Adrien could speak that way. And she got an idea of what Adrien was implying with that statement: he'd all but disowned Gabriel.

Rather than add insult to injury, Nathalie just continued to follow at a safe distance.

As Adrien and Plagg kept moving on, the eels led them past some underwater volcanoes. Adrien's love for Marinette and his hopes to see her again were what motivated him to press on.

"Are we almost there?" Adrien nervously asked the eels.

"We're close." Lila said.

Adrien nodded. Plagg, on the other hand, was thinking about what Adrien was planning on doing.

"A-Adrien... Are you sure about this? Going to see Hawkmoth?" Plagg asked, taking a risk. He had heard enough stories about Hawkmoth to be a bit nervous.

"Yes," Adrien calmly stated. It wasn't Plagg's fault that the cave got wrecked, so being mad at the kwami was pointless. "I know it's a gamble, but I don't see any other options, Plagg. He's my only shot. If I was human, I could be with Marinette."

Plagg saw the distress and desperation on his owner's face. Though the kwami was skeptical about visiting the sea warlock, he kept quiet. He could tell Adrien was still upset. It was best not to say anything that could further foul his mood.

After a few more minutes of swimming, the eels led Adrien and Plagg to a giant skeleton of a whale.

The decay of the bones had given the lair many ways in and out, and there was kelp growing in some parts, too. There were underwater geothermal vents scattered around, and the steam was giving the skeleton a very creepy vibe.

Adrien and Plagg gave each other one look and then they swam inside the skeleton's mouth, following the eels.

As Adrien and Plagg swam through the entrance hall, Adrien was shocked and disgusted at the number of the eerie-looking white butterfly fish that were swimming around. Each and every one of them looked desperate and scared. They all seemed to look at Adrien as if he were one of two things: a source of hope or another helpless victim.

The sight of this sent shivers up Adrien's spine and then a few fish swam around him in fright, causing Adrien to scream in surprise.

"Welcome. Come in, my boy," A voice said from inside. "No lurking in the doorway."

Adrien peeked in through the threshold, as did Plagg. Hawk Moth emerged from the dark and gave Adrien a cross look.

"How uncouth. Even for a prince, that lack of etiquette could call your upbringing into debate." Hawk Moth stated as he gestured for Adrien to come inside and talk to him.

Adrien swallowed a lump in his throat and Plagg kept hiding behind his holder before swimming closer.

Hawk Moth remained in his position as he noticed Adrien's ring and Plagg.

"Ah, the holder of the Cat Miraculous," Hawk Moth said, an eerie smile growing on his face, and he slightly bowed. "Such an honor."

"You know about my Miraculous?" Adrien asked, as he hid his hand behind his back. "I thought…"

"As a warlock, I have to understand magic of all kinds, even that of the humans," Hawk Moth explained. "Ergo, I know you're the holder of the Cat Miraculous, which grants you the powers of bad luck and destruction."

Adrien fell silent, not looking Hawk Moth in the eyes.

"Now let's get down to business," Hawk Moth said, tapping his cane to the floor. "You're here because you've fallen in love with this human girl… This princess of yours."

"I bet you think I'm being ridiculous, don't you?" Adrien chanced, looking at Hawkmoth.

"Not at all. The holder of the Ladybug Miraculous? You certainly have _excellent_ taste in girls, child," Hawk Moth said with a smirk before chuckling. "Well, son, they say complex problems have simple solutions, and the one to yours is about as cut and dry as they come. You must become a human yourself."

Adrien's eyes widened, and he let out a light gasp. Plagg was shocked at this statement as well.

"You can do that?" Adrien inquired, surprised at that possibility.

Hawk Moth gave a smile, and then music started to play.

"Dear boy, this is what I do, what I live for," He said, as he swam over to Adrien. "I'm here to help merfolk with problems this serious, including you."

Adrien swallowed a lump in his throat as he listened to Hawk Moth

 _"I admit that in the past I've been a nasty. They weren't kidding when they called me kind of strange."_ Hawk Moth sang, as Lila and Chloé swam around him, and giggled at that last word.

 _"But you'll find that nowadays, I've mended all my ways. Repented, seen the light, and made a change. True? Yes."_ Hawk Moth sang, as he approached Adrien and got close to him.

The young merboy prince tried to back away a bit, a little nervous.

 _"And I fortunately happen to know magic. It's a talent that I always have possessed."_ Hawk Moth sang, as he swam over to his cauldron and waved a hand over it. It opened.

 _"And here lately, don't you laugh, I use it on behalf of the miserable, lonely, and depressed…"_ Hawk Moth sang, conjuring up an image of an overweight mermaid and a lanky merman. He turned to his eels and sang under his breath, _"Pathetic…"_

 _"Poor, unfortunate souls! In pain, in need,"_ He sang, using his body language to give the impression of sympathy. _"This one longing to be thinner, that one wants to get the girl, and do I help them?"_

With a snap of his fingers, the merpeople changed. The mermaid was now thinner and very attractive, while the merman was now more muscular.

 _"Yes, indeed."_ Hawk Moth sang, as the images hugged each other.

 _"Those poor, unfortunate souls. So sad, so true. They come flocking to my cauldron, crying, "Spells, Hawk Moth, please!""_ Hawk Moth sang.

Meanwhile, Nathalie had arrived at the entrance, steeled her nerves, and started to swim inside to check out what was going on.

 _"And I help them! Yes, I do."_ Hawk Moth sang, before changing the tone of the song.

 _"Now it's happened once or twice. Someone couldn't pay the price…"_ He sang, before gesturing to the merpeople. Their body language suggested that they couldn't fulfill their end of the deal. _"And I'm afraid I've had to rake them 'cross the coals."_

Gripping his fist, in a whirlwind, the two merpeople were changed into his butterfly fish, or akumas as he called them.

 _"Yes, I've had the odd complaint,"_ Hawk Moth began, as he shut the cauldron for a second and then folded his hands in prayer. _"But on the whole, I've been a saint… To those poor, unfortunate souls!"_

The akumas shivered in fear as Hawkmoth approached them and Adrien started to get chills, too. Plagg was also becoming anxious.

"Here's the deal," Hawk Moth said, as he wrapped an arm around Adrien's shoulder, and began to bring him closer to the cauldron. "I will use my little akumas to change you into a human for three days. Understand? _Three days_ , seventy-two hours, no more, no less."

As Adrien kept looking around anxiously, Hawkmoth used a tentacle to force Adrien to face him and concentrate. Plagg followed so he could learn the necessary task. He would no doubt be there to help Adrien, so he needed to know what they had to do.

"And pay attention, this part is crucial," Hawk Moth said, as he opened the cauldron a little bit and let the images flow. "Before dusk turns to dark on the third day, you've got to win the heart of your princess."

Adrien watched closely as Hawk Moth gave his instructions. The images started with three suns rising and setting to symbolize the three days Adrien had. Then, Hawkmoth conjured up a silver tiara with a ladybug as the crown jewel, representing Marinette. Finally, the tiara was placed on top of a large, pink heart, which meant Adrien had to get Marinette to fall in love with him.

"More to the point, you have to kiss her. And I don't mean a peck on the lips, nor a full-blown French-kissing session either," Hawkmoth said. "The kiss of true love."

The tiara and heart started flashing brightly, and Adrien watched with an understanding nod. Plagg, on the other hand, was gagging.

Nathalie crept inside, and she soon that Adrien and Plagg were listening to Hawkmoth's offer. She tried to get closer in order to stop them.

"If you _do_ kiss her before dusk turns to dark on the third day, you'll remain human _for good_ _._ " Hawk Moth explained, and then the light from the cauldron revealed an image of Adrien's silhouette with legs, and he was running around.

Seeing this, Adrien imagined how happy he'd be if that were to happen. Plagg saw how delighted his holder looked, and was also thinking about how much camembert he'd be able to eat.

However, there was one question on the merboy's mind, so he voiced it.

"Dare I ask what happens if I fail?" Adrien inquired, almost dreading the answer.

"If you don't, you'll revert back into a merboy…" Hawk Moth began, as the silhouette changed into a merboy and then he was sucked into the cauldron. "And you and your Miraculous are _mine_."

Plagg squeaked in fear and shock before hiding behind Adrien.

"Adrien, no!" Nathalie hollered, but Chloé and Lila wrapped themselves around the crab to silence her.

"Is it a deal?" Hawk Moth asked, smirking.

Adrien thought over this prospect and its consequences. If he succeeded, he could finally be happy and be with Marinette. But...

"If I become human… That means _adieu_ to the King and His Highness, doesn't it?" Adrien asked rhetorically.

Adrien knew what'd happen. It was a one-way ticket, after all. If he became a human and stayed that way for life, he'd never see his family again. He admitted to himself that he'd miss his brother, but as for Gabriel, he wouldn't be missed at all. After what he had done to the grotto, Adrien was questioning if he even _was_ a father.

"No argument there," Hawk Moth said, not sugarcoating the facts. "But… you'll have your princess."

He started to chuckle a bit, and Adrien was a little nervous.

"While we're still talking, we have to cover payment. There's no such thing as a free lunch." Hawk Moth said.

"You're not getting my Miraculous, but I'm also flat bro-" Adrien stated, but then Hawk Moth raised his hand to signal Adrien to stop.

"Relax. Your Miraculous wasn't on the table," Hawk Moth stated. Adrien sighed in relief for the moment. "What I want is something inconsequential at best. There are _lots_ of people who can function without it."

As the warlock slowly closed in on the merboy, Adrien was getting spooked. He was unsure of what Hawk Moth would ask from him, but he hoped it was nothing too terrible or drastic.

"What I want from you is…" Hawkmoth said, as he used his finger to lift Adrien's chin. _"Your voice."_

"My voice?" Adrien confusedly asked, lifting his hand to his throat.

"His voice?" Plagg repeated in askance.

Why would Hawk Moth ask Adrien for _that?_ Plagg found it perplexing, too.

"That's correct, sonny," Hawk Moth said, smirking. "You won't be able to sing, speak, _zilch_."

"Hang on, that makes no sense," Adrien said, trying to find the logic here. "Without my voice, how am I supposed to…"

"You'll have your looks. Your picture-perfect face!" Hawk Moth said, crossing his arms. He smirked and looked Adrien before flexing an arm. "And most importantly, don't forget to utilize your body language! Ha!"

 _"The girls up there don't like a man who blabbers! They think conceited braggarts are a bore!"_ Hawk Moth sang, as he crawled up the sides of the wall to get to his cabinet. With a wave, he opened it.

As he used both his tentacles and his hands to gather up the ingredients for the akuma magic, he continued singing.

 _"See, on land it's quite preferred that women get the final word. And after all, son, what is all that hot air for?"_ Hawk Moth sang, before throwing an unnecessary ingredient away, and then tossing the essential ones down to the cauldron. _"Come on, they get bored with one-sided conversation!"_

Adrien ducked and dodged as all of the components for the magic were being thrown at him.

 _"When there's a break, they'll give their thoughts a whirl."_ Hawk Moth sang, meanwhile the bottles and vials of random items swirled around the cauldron. They all flew inside, bottle, corks, and all. Adrien kept his distance from it as sea smoke billowed out.

 _"And they swoon, they squeal, they sigh o'er a strong n' silent guy!"_ Hawk Moth sang, making hand motions about girls going crazy over a boy. Then he swam down to the cauldron. He took out a pair of bright red fish lips and threw it inside, singing, _"It's he who zips his lips who gets his girl!"_

In a flash of red light, there was another puff of smoke that came out and Adrien watched in fright as the warlock did his work.

 _"Come on, you poor, unfortunate soul! Go ahead! Make your choice!"_ Hawk Moth demanded, as he noticed Adrien was hesitating.

Hawk Moth decided to tempt him further by appealing to his feelings of love for the princess once more.

 _"I'm a very busy warlock, so I haven't got all day. It won't cost much…"_ Hawk Moth sang.

He used his magic to conjure up an image of Marinette looking at Adrien with a smile on her face and giggling. Adrien gave a romantic grin with half-lidded eyes, and he leaned in closer.

However, it vanished, and Hawk Moth got in his space, singing, _"Just your voice!"_

 _"Ya poor, unfortunate soul!"_ Hawk Moth sang, while he used his tentacles to bring several of his butterfly fish into the brew.

A giant mushroom cloud billowed out of the cauldron, and the spell was now completed. Hawk Moth sang, _"It's sad, but true!"_

 _"If you want to cross a bridge, mon fils, you've got to pay the toll."_ Hawk Moth sang.

He came up next to Adrien, wrapped an arm around the merboy's shoulder, and with a wave of his hand, conjured up a glowing, golden scroll, stating the terms of the deal.

 _"Take a gulp and take a breath and go ahead and sign the scroll!"_ Hawk Moth crooned, as a pen made from the skeleton of a fish came in front of Adrien in a snap of light.

Adrien swallowed a lump in his throat as he looked at the contract and pen and wondered what to do.

 _"Chloé, Lila, now I've got him, girls!"_ Hawk Moth whispered to his eels, who hissed in delight. _"This warlock's on a roll!"_

Adrien came to a conclusion while looking at the glowing parchment. It reaffirmed what he already knew. He was _miserable_ as a merboy. He was _lonely_. He was an _unneeded hero_. All his life, he'd been _trapped_ in the waters of Atlantica, under the dictatorial authority of his father with no way out. But now he had a chance to change all of that.

He wanted to be _human_. He wanted to be _happy_. He wanted be _useful_ as Cat Noir because the Miraculous had _no place_ under the sea. More than anything else, he wanted Marinette's love and affection. Adrien was certain that this deal was his only option to get all of the above, voice or no voice. He resolved that he'd rather be a mute human than a talkative merboy. If that was what it took to find freedom and happiness, then it was a small sacrifice for all he cared.

Deciding, Adrien looked back at the pen in determination, snagged it, and held it to the paper.

 _"This poor, unfortunate soul~!"_ Hawk Moth sang, gesturing his open palm to Adrien, his eyes wide with manic anticipation and impatience.

Plagg and Nathalie watched in horror, the latter of them thinking, _'He wouldn't…!'_

Adrien squeezed his eyes shut, internally declaring, _'Here goes nothing!'_

He turned his face away and wrote out his name on the scroll. With a final swipe of the pen, he underlined his signature, before opening his eyes.

The pen disappeared in a puff of sea smoke and the contract magically rolled itself up and zapped into Hawk Moth's hand.

Hawk Moth waved his hands like he was playing the keys of a pipe organ over the cauldron, and began his incantation for the magic.

 _"Beluga, sevruga, come winds of the Caspian sea!"_ Hawk Moth sang, as the liquid in the cauldron started to bubble.

The purplish-black substance bubbled over and water currents containing the magic started swirling around the two of them. Adrien looked around in awe and anxiety, unsure of what was going on.

 _"Larynxes glossitis ad max laryngitis, la voce to me!"_ Hawk Moth sang, as he conjured up old, boney man hands from the contents in the cauldron. Thunder clapped and the lights in the magical currents and hands turned from blackish-purple to sickly blue.

The light made everyone look that icky blue shade, even Adrien and Hawk Moth.

Eyes going crazy, he pointed to Adrien and stated, _"Now, sing!"_

Adrien started to vocalize. The base of his throat where his larynx was had started to glow as well. The currents from the magic were moving around Adrien's throat and neck area, getting closer and closer. He kept a stern look on his face, even though he was really spooked deep down.

 _"Keep singing!"_ Hawk Moth shouted, as the hands made their way to Adrien.

Adrien continued to sing. As one of the hands reached him, it went inside his mouth, and Adrien had to bend backwards to allow better access. The other hand wrapped around his waist to hold him steady.

When Adrien was upright again, the hand had left his mouth the same way it went in, and in between the thumb and index fingers, it was holding Adrien's voice in the form of a ball of light. Ironically, even though his throat felt empty, the process was completely painless. Adrien could only look on and watch his voice leave him in the literal sense.

It echoed and slowly went back to Hawk Moth. The hand put it in his black brooch, and then the jewelry piece flashed purple for a second.

Once the magic currents stopped, Hawk Moth started to laugh like a maniac. In a rush, a swarm of dark purple butterfly fish – magically-charged akumas – swam out from the cauldron and towards Adrien. Before long, he was completely surrounded and enveloped.

Adrien was twitching and thrashing about. His fin started glowing while water currents were whirling around him.

Nathalie and Plagg watched in horror as Adrien underwent his transformation.

His fin sparkled and then it painlessly and seamlessly split into two appendages. They were instantaneously turned into human legs.

The fish turned white, dispersed, and scattered. Adrien was now a human, but since he wasn't able to swim and breathe, he was struggling to move.

"He needs air! Quick, we gotta get him to the surface!" Plagg shouted as he and Nathalie hurried over to him and started to pull him up. Nathalie was pulling Adrien by the hand while Plagg was pushing him up from underneath one of his arms.

They left through the ceiling and were swimming up to the surface as fast as possible. Adrien kicked his legs and tried to use his arm to swim, but he was having a lot of trouble, especially while holding his breath at the same time.

Once they broke the surface, Adrien took in a big inhalation of air.

 _'Damn, that's better…'_ Adrien thought, as he was finally able to breathe. With Plagg and Nathalie helping him, Adrien made his way to the shore.

* * *

Back with Marinette, Tikki had brought her to the beach for the umpteenth time that week. The red kwami had been insistent that someone had saved Marinette from the storm and brought her to safety. Marinette, however, was skeptical of such a thing.

"Tikki..." Marinette said, crossing her arms and looking around.

"Trust me, Marinette!" Tikki said, flying over to her holder. "Someone rescued you! No doubt about it! We'll find him and you two will get married!"

"What makes you so sure?" Marinette inquired to her kwami. "If that were true, then why didn't he stick around to make sure I was okay when I woke up?"

"That's a tough one," Tikki admitted. "But I'm certain that I sensed another Miraculous aura during the entire incident. And I _definitely_ heard a boy singing to you."

"But we've been searching all week, and so far nothing," Marinette said, crossing her arms. "I'm certain that boy was only my imagination. Wouldn't anyone's fantasies run wild after going through something like that?"

"I see your point, but I _know_ he's real... But honestly, where did he go?" Tikki asked aloud, as she and Marinette kept looking around.

Down the shoreline, the trio had made it to the beach. Plagg and Nathalie were sitting on a small rock, trying to catch their breath, meanwhile Adrien was lying against a larger one.

He sat up and looked at his surroundings. Looking down at his lower body, he saw that his fin was gone and he now had legs. He lifted one of them up and he gave a huge smile.

 _'I can't believe it... It worked! The magic worked!'_ Adrien thought, delighted. He started to wiggle his toes and he silently chortled in joy.

"Look what the catfish dragged in! Hey, Adri- WHOA! You have legs now?! What happened?!" Kim shouted from above, and then he landed next to Nathalie while staring at his friend in surprise.

"He traded his voice to the sea warlock and he got changed into a human." Nathalie said, her tone even and unchanging. She shook her head while pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Wow." Kim stated. It was all he could say.

While the others were discussing the situation, Adrien had stood up to try walking. He had a big smile on his face, but he was wobbling and struggling to stay upright.

 _'This is pawesome! Once I get used to these legs, I'll be winning over my princess licketty-split!'_ Adrien thought, smiling widely.

"There's more. He has to win Marinette over and kiss her!" Plagg explained further.

"And guess how much time he has?! _Three days!_ " Nathalie stated.

As Adrien tried to take a few steps, he lost his balance and stumbled heavily. He fell in the water, splashing everyone.

"Look at him!" Nathalie said, freaking out, as Adrien sat up in the water. "On _human legs!_ "

Adrien disregarded Nathalie's disdain and tried to stand up once more and practice his walking.

She shuddered before saying, "Now I've seen _everything_. This is a nightmare! What would his father say...?!"

"Does it _matter_ what Gabriel would say?" Plagg asked. "He lost his right to be a father to Adrien when he destroyed the grotto. If Adrien just stopped caring about him, I wouldn't blame him."

"What about _you?!_ " Nathalie inquired sternly. "You just sat idly by and watched Adrien sign that document!"

"Nathalie, you and I _both_ saw how upset Adrien was back in the cave. As humans say, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. And I could tell Adrien wasn't just thinking about himself, either. He most likely factored _me_ in as well." Plagg stated.

 _"You?"_ Kim inquired. "How?"

As Adrien continued to try walking, he kept listening to the others' conversation.

"Please keep in mind that I'm _from_ the human world. I wanted to return to land as much as he wanted to live his life here. Adrien must have felt like a ball and chain to me. He wanted to become human not just for himself and true love, but for me by extension." Plagg explained.

Adrien nodded, acknowledging that Plagg's assessment was correct.

"And the best part is now that we're back, I can finally eat my camembert and not get strange looks from citizens!" Plagg said, leaving the cheese as an afterthought.

Adrien shook his head with amusement. His kwami was impossible.

Slapping herself in the face with her claw, Nathalie stated, "I won't stand for this. I'm going to go straight back to the castle and tell Gabriel..."

Nathalie continued ranting and made for the water. Seeing what she was up to, Adrien sat down and snatched her up in his hands. He started to shake his head at her, imploring her not to tell the king. Gabriel's reaction to Adrien's feelings for Marinette was bad enough. He could only _imagine_ how much worse it would be if he found out about the contract. Then he'd be in even _more_ trouble.

"Adrien, no shaking your head at me," Nathalie scolded, her tone remaining professional and composed. "Hopefully we can reverse this. If we can get that warlock to rescind this contract and give you your voice back, you could go home to Atlantica where you belong and then you'd... You'd..."

However, she stopped talking when she saw Adrien's face fall. He looked so sad, like he was about to cry again.

 _'Don't you get it, Nathalie? Atlantica isn't my home anymore.'_ Adrien thought, trying to tell the crab his thoughts via his facial expressions.

Nathalie had never seen him so unhappy in her life. Not since the queen died. Now that she saw that face again, Nathalie realized something: by trying to force Adrien to meet his father's expectations instead of letting him live the way he wanted to, she was only making things worse. And after that fight in the grotto, it could be guaranteed that Adrien had no intention of going back. _Ever._

"...You'd never be happy again," Nathalie said, giving in. "Okay, fine. I'll help you find that princess."

Adrien smiled and put Nathalie back down on the rock.

"Talk about becoming a soft-shell, huh?" Plagg teased. "Alright, first things first: we have to find the girl."

"That's actually going to be the easy part," Kim said. "That kwami of hers has been dragging her here every day, insisting that someone had saved her. Tikki's been going on and on about how once they find Adrien, he and Marinette will get married. I think they're close by."

Adrien blushed a bit and a goofy grin grew on his face. Him and Marinette? _Married?_ He could only hope.

"That's gonna make things easier," Plagg said, smiling. "Come on, kid. Go stand up and meet her."

But Adrien looked down at himself. Once he saw he was unclothed, he went red in the face, and shook his head furiously. He made an "X" gesture with his arms before motioning to his body.

 _'Shell no! Not like_ this! _What would she think?!'_ Adrien thought, mortified at the thought.

He'd seen enough pictures of humans to know they were always covered by _something._ If he met with Marinette while completely nude, chances are it would _not_ go well. Then he could kiss his kiss goodbye.

"Oh, right..." Plagg said, scratching his head. "Good point. Showing up naked _won't_ be a good first impression."

"Hey, look over here!" Kim shouted, pulling out an old sail and a few ropes from some boat wreckage. "This should work, at least temporarily."

"It'll have to do for now." Nathalie said as she and Plagg went over to Kim to fashion out something for Adrien to wear.

Meanwhile, Tikki and Marinette were still looking around, when Tikki's antennae stood up on end. She was sensing something nearby.

"What's wrong, Tikki?" Marinette asked, noticing her kwami's behavior.

 _'That presence... Yes! It's gotta be him!'_ Tikki thought, a smile gracing her lips. She had detected the Miraculous aura of the person who had rescued Marinette.

Tikki immediately started flying towards the aura's focal point.

"Tikki, where are you going?!" Marinette shouted before chasing after her kwami. The poor girl tried her best to keep pace with Tikki, stumbling on the sand all the while.

Marinette was confused. Why would Tikki take off all of a sudden? She would never do something like that unless it was important.

"There's another Miraculous close by! It's definitely the same person who saved you!" Tikki shouted back.

Another Miraculous? Then Marinette _had_ to check it out. She put forth more effort to catch up with her kwami.

"Alright, it looks like you're good." Kim said, as Adrien came out from behind a rock.

He turned the sail into some clothes. He wrapped it around his waist, it covered everything from his torso down to his knees, and he made sure it had one sleeve on his shoulder. He used the rope as a belt.

 _'This is a little awkward to wear, but it's better than nothing.'_ Adrien thought, not quite sure what to make of what he was clothed in.

"Now let's go find your lady." Plagg said, flying next to Adrien.

"Plagg? Is that you?" A voice asked from nearby. Nathalie ducked into a pocket on the sail, and Kim made some distance.

Plagg turned around and saw Tikki flying towards them.

"Sugarcube!" Plagg flirtatiously said, earning a confused expression from Adrien.

"I told you not to call me that, stinky sock." Tikki retorted as she caught up to them.

 _'Oh, I get it. He calls her "sugarcube" because he likes her.'_ Adrien thought, giving his kwami a knowing smirk.

Plagg saw the look Adrien was giving him, and got a little embarrassed.

"What?" Plagg asked his holder, but he just got a teasing smile from the mute blonde. "I can't flirt with the adorable kwami whom I haven't seen in ages?"

"Fifty years to be exact," Tikki said, before looking to Adrien. She saw the Cat ring on his hand. "Is this your new owner?"

"Yes, but..." Plagg began.

"I _knew_ I sensed another Miraculous aura nearby! You're the one who saved Marinette, aren't you?!" Tikki delightedly asked Adrien.

He merely gave a nod, unused to a kwami other than Plagg in his space like this.

"That's great!" Tikki began, before flying in loops and circles. "Now we can re..."

"Tikki!" Marinette shouted from nearby.

Marinette came from around the corner, looking around for her kwami.

 _'It's her! My lady!'_ Adrien thought, happy to see his beloved Marinette in person again. Adrien's heart skipped a beat. He started to run his fingers through his hair, trying to look his best and get off on the right foot with Marinette.

"Over here, Marinette!" Tikki shouted to her holder.

Marinette dashed over to her kwami, meanwhile Adrien kept looking at her, watching as her pigtails bounced as she ran, how her eyes sparkled in the sun. In short, she looked just as ravishing in broad daylight as she did at night, maybe even more so.

"What's going on, Tikki?" Marinette inquired as she caught up to Tikki.

"Look!" Tikki said, pointing over to Adrien.

"Oh, hello," Marinette said, walking over to Adrien. "Sorry if my kwami surprised you. I..."

Instantly, Marinette's eyes met Adrien's. He was giving her a dapper smile.

"Marinette, this is Plagg, the kwami of the Cat Miraculous, which gives its wearer..." Tikki began to explain.

However, her owner was tuning out. Marinette was not sure why, but there was something oddly familiar about this boy. Especially his peridot eyes, and the way he was looking at her. As she kept staring into his eyes, getting totally lost in them, Adrien kept staring back into Marinette's. Her eyes were just as beautiful and blue as he remembered.

 _'Looks like she's sizing me up! Maybe she recognizes me?!'_ Adrien thought, hoping Marinette remembered him.

"There's... Something familiar about you," Marinette said, much to Tikki's delight. "Is... Is it possible that we've met before?"

Adrien, happy that she was catching on, nodded quickly with a big smile on his face.

"See, I told you someone saved you! I'm sure this is him!" Tikki said, as she gently pushed Marinette closer to Adrien.

"Well... What's your name?" Marinette asked Adrien.

Adrien began to tell her, but then he remembered something important: he was mute.

"What's the matter?" Tikki asked, curious that Adrien had not made a sound. "Aren't you going to tell us your name?"

Adrien looked down to the ground, not sure how he was going to tell Marinette that he was unable to speak. All he did was rub his throat.

"You mean... You can't talk?" Marinette asked.

Adrien shook his head with a sad look on his face. He then rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed that he had briefly forgotten that he gave up his voice.

"See, Tikki?" Marinette said, gently reprimanding her kwami. "There's no way anyone could have saved me from that storm. And you _did_ say you heard his voice, so..."

Adrien silently sighed in frustration while Plagg shook his head. _Now_ what? Adrien looked out to the water, wondering what he could do to tell Marinette the truth.

Marinette followed his line of sight, and then she looked back to him. Adrien tried making hand gestures to tell her what had happened, but it was making no sense to anyone.

"Um... I don't think I understand what you're trying to say. Do you need help or...?" Marinette began.

Adrien took a step closer, but he misstepped and stumbled. He flailed his arms, trying to regain his balance, but he fell on top of Marinette. She wrapped his arms around him by mistake, and they landed on the sand.

Once again, Marinette felt a sense of familiarity from this. Looking up at Adrien, the sun's backlighting gave him the same ethereal look she remembered from her dream.

Adrien, realizing what he was doing, scrambled off and sat on his knees. Her arms were still wrapped around him, trying to keep him steady. He was blushing, embarrassed.

Marinette examined him. Nonverbal, unsteady on his feet, wearing a sail for clothes... All she could glean from this was that he _definitely_ experienced something dangerous.

"You've probably been through something pretty intense, haven't you?" Marinette asked while helping Adrien stand up.

 _'You have no idea, my lady...'_ Adrien thought. However, he smiled slightly at being this close to his princess.

"Tikki, let's get this boy back to the castle," Marinette said, as she wrapped one of Adrien's arms around her shoulders. "He needs help."

As the two of them started to walk back to Marinette's castle, Adrien could not help but blush and smile tenderly at his precious princess. Just feeling her touch made him happy. He resisted the urge to lean in closer. Like Kim said, finding Marinette was the easy part.

Tikki looked at Plagg and she quietly asked, "Alright, Plagg, what's going on? You _did_ save Marinette and I, didn't you?"

"We _did_ , but..." Plagg admitted, not sure how to continue without Marinette overhearing them.

"Then why didn't he say anything?" Tikki asked.

"He can't. I'll explain later," Plagg whispered back. "Let's just get to the castle for now."

As the group made their way back to the building, Kim watched from behind, silently cheering his friend on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And Marinette and Adrien are reunited! Can we get this romance on the road in the next chapter? You'll have to wait and SEA! *Rimshot* Get the joke? Or was that worse than one of Cat Noir's usual puns? ...Sorry if that was bad.
> 
> Now, if you haven't noticed, the first few lines of "Poor Unfortunate Souls" was changed up to match the Jonas Brothers version. That was on purpose on my end. And if you did wind up listening to that version of this song while reading this chapter, I wouldn't blame you.
> 
> I'm sure you've seen it already, but I've added extra emphasis on the other reasons Adrien had that made him decide to take the deal. This is because people seem to forget that Ariel had wanted a life on land long before Eric came into the picture. Falling for him was just the clincher.


	6. Dinner and Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And now that Marinette and Adrien are reunited, our merboy is going to get down to business to win over his princess! But he won't be able to do it without help…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is going to be a twist in this story that will go either way with the readers. What will that twist be? You'll just have to find out by reading.
> 
> Before we get back to it, I think I owe you an explanation of how Hawkmoth's magic works since he doesn't have the Butterfly Miraculous. Hawkmoth charges the butterfly fish with the contents in his cauldron when he casts a spell. But like when Ladybug purifies the akumas after each fight, once the magic is used up, the akumas are "purified" and then they go back to wandering aimlessly around the lair. And yes, sometimes the akumas that are used in the magic are the merpeople who have failed at their tasks. But the good news is that they aren't hurt.

At Marinette's castle, the maids were tasked with getting Adrien cleaned up. In the bathroom, he was sitting in a large tub filled with warm water and a lot of soap.

" _Mon dieu_ , washed up from a shipwreck," Caline Bustier, the head maid said, as she gathered up the sail Adrien was wearing into a basket, unaware that Nathalie was still inside one of the pockets. "Don't worry, you'll be all freshened up in a jiffy!"

As much as Adrien was tired of living in the water, he had to admit that this bubble bath was a lot of fun. He was blowing bubbles out of his hands, and was astonished at how long they stayed in the air before popping. Adrien had never seen bubbles last this long under the sea.

Seeing the colors of the rainbow dancing on the surface of the bubbles, his distorted reflection, and how many sizes there were, Adrien could not help but smile.

Caline took the basket over to the laundry room where the other maids were. She tossed the sail into the soapy water and Nathalie emerged from it, coughing.

"I'm sure you've all heard about this boy by now, haven't you?" "I sure have. The poor kid." "No one should have to suffer through something like a shipwreck."

Someone grabbed a shirt and started rubbing it against the washboard, with Nathalie getting caught up in it. Getting banged around against the board was painful.

"Come on, even Miraculous holders go through hard times. Remember when Queen Gina passed away? Princess Marinette was so devastated!" "That's true…" "Speaking of Miraculous holders, this boy happens to be one, too, right?"

Nathalie hung on to one of the shirts as it was thrown onto a conveyor belt. A maid turned the crank and then the shirt went through the rollers and squeezed out both the water and the crab. As Nathalie landed in the dry clothes basket, one of the maids took some clothespins and hung it up on the line. Nathalie hid in a pocket as she hung onto the shirt.

"Yeah, the Cat Miraculous, specifically." "I've overheard stories from Tikki." "Same here. I pity the boy for having to put up with a kwami like _that!_ "

As the line was being pulled, the clothes were moving along, with Nathalie hanging on for dear life.

She soon saw a window and then she leaped from the shirt pocket and dove inside. Once she stood up and looked around, her jaw dropped.

Nathalie had realized that she was in the kitchen. She saw the fridge was open and inside were several fish stored in ice, much to the crab's horror. Looking around, she saw the knifes and tools and many other ingredients she both did and didn't recognize.

Seeing this, she fainted.

* * *

Out in the dining hall, Marinette was talking to her parents, Alya, Nino, and the kwamis.

"Marinette, dear, you should listen to Tikki," Queen Sabine said. "If she says that someone saved you, then someone saved you."

Sabine was a smaller woman from an Asian kingdom. She had black hair just like Marinette, but her eyes were grey, and she was around her daughter's height. She was wearing an off-white cheongsam with a flower design and a crown atop her head.

"Your mother is right, Marinette," King Tom agreed. "You should believe your kwami. And if this boy _is_ real, then you owe that young man your life _and_ gratitude."

He was a taller, burly man with brown hair, green eyes, and both a moustache and sideburns. He was wearing a plain blue shirt and a larger crown on his head.

"Papa, Maman, how many boys do you know that go swimming around in the water during a hurricane, save damsels in distress, and then just disappear into thin air?" Marinette reasoned.

"Well, none, but…" Sabine began.

"Then for all I know, Tikki and I could have been hallucinating." Marinette insisted.

"Come on, Marinette!" Trixx said, defending Tikki. "Kwamis act as a second set of eyes and ears when you're transformed. Whatever you sense, we sense, too. But when you were unconscious, Tikki was probably _just_ alert enough to tell what was going on around you."

"And we _distinctly_ remember sensing another Miraculous holder nearby when we found you on the beach." Wayzz stated.

" _And_ that same boy was with you even when you changed back!" Tikki stubbornly argued.

She was aware that it was Adrien, but since he couldn't talk, and since she knew Plagg had to explain things, she refused to say anything about him to Marinette.

"I'll believe it when he comes forward." Marinette said with a sigh.

"Speaking of boys," Alya chimed in, changing the subject. "What about Sunshine Child? You know, the boy you brought back to the castle?"

"Yeah, what's his story?" Nino inquired.

"Oh, him?" Marinette said. "Tikki and I found him and his kwami at the beach today. He looked like he had been through a rough time. He could hardly stand and walk unassisted."

"Goodness." Sabine said, shocked.

Tikki was about to tell Marinette that it was Adrien who had saved her and that Plagg confirmed it, but then she paused, wondering if it was a good idea.

Just then, the door to the dining room opened and then Caline came in.

"Come on in, dear, there's no need to be so shy." Caline said, as she gently coaxed Adrien inside the dining room.

As Adrien walked into the light of the room, Marinette's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

Adrien's hair was now neatly combed, and he was wearing much nicer clothes. He was wearing blue jeans and orange sneakers, a black shirt with a green and yellow stripe, and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves up to his elbows. He still had his Miraculous on.

"It's been a long time, guys." Plagg said, as he flew closer to the other kwamis.

"It certainly has, Plagg." Wayzz said, as he, Trixx, and Tikki flew over to the black cat kwami and they were all beginning to talk with each other.

Marinette was shocked. This boy certainly looked like a million bucks compared to when he was wearing a sail on the beach. She couldn't help but blush.

 _'My lady DEFINITELY likes what she sees.'_ Adrien thought, noticing her reaction. A smile tugged at his lips.

"Looking good, dude!" Nino said, as he approached Adrien and held out a fist.

Adrien looked at it confusedly, but then quickly realized that it was probably a form of human greeting. So, he bumped fists with Nino.

He then immediately made a beeline for the princess, and he looked her in the eyes, eagerness lacing his green orbs.

Alya noticed that Marinette was stunned silent and a grin came upon her face.

"Wow, Marinette. Isn't he cute?" Alya said, teasing her best friend by nudging her with her elbow.

"You… You look stup – er, I mean you nook – AH! Okay… You clean up very well," Marinette stammered, but then she finally collected her words. "You look like you could be a model or something."

Adrien blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. He kept looking at Marinette, happy to receive a compliment from his princess.

Getting an idea, Adrien decided to take advantage of Marinette's flustered state. He gently took her hand, brought it up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Marinette blushed and snatched her hand away before giggling, embarrassed. Marinette could feel her heart pounding and she smiled a little bit. She also felt a slight rush of nostalgia, but it immediately left her.

Adrien smiled, happy that a hand kiss seemed to work.

Tom and Sabine gave each other knowing, teasing looks. It seemed that this boy had instantly taken a shine to their daughter.

"Now, shall we sit down at the table, then?" Sabine asked. "You must be pretty hungry, young man."

Adrien nodded. Now that Sabine mentioned it, he _really_ had an appetite and was hoping to satisfy it.

"Yeah, but he's not the only one who's starving!" Plagg complained.

Adrien playfully rolled his eyes. As he walked to the dinner table, Adrien immediately made for the seat next to Marinette, who was sitting across from Alya. Adrien was sitting across from Nino, who was next to Alya, and Tom and Sabine were sitting at the head of the table.

Adrien hoped to make a good first impression on everyone in the room. He knew Alya and Nino were engaged to each other, and they seemed to be close friends with Marinette. Plus, they all had Miraculouses, so it would probably be easy to become friends with them.

It was Marinette's parents Adrien was the most concerned about. After all, he'd become enamored with their daughter. The last thing he wanted was to be kicked out because they took a disliking to a mute boy who was making eyes at the princess.

One of the servants brought in a large plate of cheeses for everyone to start with. Seeing the camembert, Adrien knew what was about to come…

Plagg gasped in delight and then he immediately dove for the camembert before zipping back next to his holder. He started scarfing it down, as if he had not eaten for weeks.

"Plagg, save some cheese for the rest of us!" Tikki reprimanded.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Trixx said with a giggle.

Wayzz merely shook his head.

Seeing the cat kwami pigging out on the cheese, Adrien silently sighed before rolling his eyes. No matter how many times he smelled it or how many times he'd seen Plagg eat it, the cheese was still repulsive to him. How could his kwami eat it like no one's business?

"Plagg must be a handful, huh? By the way, what might your name be?" Tom asked Adrien.

Adrien, remembering he was voiceless, had no idea how to answer.

Plagg then swallowed his cheese and spoke up to say, "His name is Adrien."

Adrien smiled and nodded, confirming it for Plagg.

"Well, Adrien," Sabine said, gently smiling at the blonde. "It's nice to have you here at our castle. You're welcome to stay for a while."

Adrien smiled and nodded, giving Sabine a big "Thank you."

He immediately noticed something out of his peripheral vision: a dingle-hopper was sitting next to his plate.

He took it up and started combing his hair with the fork. Everyone looked at him with confused expressions.

"What is he doing?" Nino asked, and Wayzz shrugged.

Adrien saw the looks everyone was giving him, and then he noticed Plagg was giving him the "cut-it-out" gesture by pointing his paw at his throat and waving it back and forth.

Adrien got the message and put the fork back down. He looked down, embarrassed.

 _'Guess humans DON'T brush or comb their hair at the table.'_ Adrien thought, realizing his mistake.

Adrien saw one of the butlers in the castle had a snarfblat, and he started to stare at it.

"Oh, you like my pipe?" The butler asked, and Adrien nodded. The older man handed the pipe over to Adrien.

Adrien examined it with palpable curiosity and then he blew into it. All that happened was that he blasted soot into Nino's face.

Everyone cracked up and started laughing. Even Nino took this well. He took up his napkin and wiped off the soot. Adrien cringed, unsure of what had just happened.

"You're hilarious, dude!" Nino said, as he put the napkin onto one the butler's tray. "I've never seen someone play a pipe like it was a musical instrument."

Adrien smiled at Nino's easygoing remark. It made him feel less tense.

He also kept hearing ladylike laughter from next to him. Adrien looked to his side to see his sweet Marinette still laughing her head off. Even Tikki was amused and giggling.

"Wow, Marinette! It's been a while since you've smiled." Alya commented.

"Yeah." Trixx agreed.

Adrien merely leaned a hand against his face and rested his arm against the table. He kept gazing at Marinette with affection in his eyes.

 _'She's so adorable.'_ Adrien thought, and one could swear that there were hearts fluttering around him.

Marinette caught him staring at her and then she maintained eye contact with him. She blushed, a shy smile on her face.

"So, what's on the menu for dinner tonight?" Wayzz asked, snapping the princess out of her stupor.

"Since we have a guest and the kitchen is low on seafood, Cheng Shifu and Chef Césaire are going to be making their specialty: The Celestial Soup." Caline said.

Adrien sighed in relief, hearing that seafood wasn't on the menu.

Noticing his relief, Tom asked, "What's the matter? Do you not like seafood?"

"It's not unusual," Marinette said with a shrug. "Plenty of people don't eat seafood."

"Maybe he's allergic to fish and shellfish?" Nino suggested.

Adrien nodded furiously. He'd heard of allergies before. Even merpeople had them. For example, Félix was allergic to certain types of algae.

 _'Good call, kid. Speaking of shellfish, where's Nathalie?'_ Plagg thought, relieved that his holder decided to play along with Nino's suggestion of food allergies... but noticed that a certain crab was missing.

"Then it's a good thing the Celestial Soup doesn't have any seafood in it." Marinette said. Adrien put his hand over hers, and she continued looking at him.

She once again felt something familiar about this. Again, she brushed it off, thinking it was nothing.

Adrien, on the other hand, blushed and gazed at his lady, a smile gracing his lips.

Tikki's eyes lit up with delight. She knew that Adrien was the one who saved Marinette's life, and seeing them already getting friendly with each other was a pleasure.

 _'So far, so good.'_ Plagg thought.

* * *

In the kitchen, Nathalie was trying to find a way to get out of what she considered "the danger zone," and rendezvous with Adrien and Plagg.

As she scurried along the floor, she noticed two pairs of legs. She immediately hid behind the island in the kitchen.

"Cheng Shifu, how is the soup coming along?" Inquired Alya's mother Marlena.

She was a smaller woman with pale brown skin and chocolate-brown hair in a bun. She was wearing a chef white jacket, black chef pants and black, non-slip clogs.

She was talking to a man who stood at medium height. He was overweight, was wearing a chef hat on his head, with short black hair, long-thick eyebrows, brown eyes, and a tiny moustache and beard. He was also wearing a chef's coat.

Cheng Shifu was Queen Sabine's uncle, and he'd been cooking for her and his family ever since he was young, and Marlena was his sous chef.

Cheng Shifu turned to Marlena and gave her an "okay" sign.

"Excellent," Marlena said. "I just heard from Caline that our guest, Adrien, is allergic to fish and shellfish."

Hearing this cover story, Nathalie breathed a sigh of relief. That meant _she_ was unlikely to wind up in anyone's stomach.

As Nathalie waited for an opening to leave, she soon saw Cheng Shifu ladle the soup into some bowls. She slowly crawled closer to take a look. As much as she hated the idea of being amongst the humans, she had to admit that a soup that did not have any seafood in it sounded appetizing. Not to mention, she was curious about what such a soup would look like.

She climbed up onto the bench where the stove was and hid behind one of the knife blocks. Nathalie peeked out and looked at one of the bowls. The contents were a deep purple color with a gold swirl. It was garnished with purple flowers and some leaves.

Just the scent of the soup made her hungry, but then she remembered where she was.

"The soup is ready for service." Marlena declared, as she took up some cloches to put over the bowls and plates.

Nathalie dove onto one of the dishes and she ducked down to hide as a cloche came over her.

Back in the dining room, everyone was waiting for the food to come out. Plagg was still gobbling on camembert, and Trixx and Wayzz were giving Adrien examining glances. It was as if they picked up on something.

Marinette and Adrien were still stealing glances at one another.

 _'He IS kind of cute…'_ Marinette thought.

Alya, Nino and their kwamis looked at each other and grinned knowingly. Judging by the lovesick gaze that their guest had, it was clear to them that he had a thing for the princess. And it seemed like Marinette couldn't help but stare at the boy, either.

Alya winked at her fiancé and then she started up the conversation.

"Hey, Marinette," Alya said. "Since Adrien is new around here, why don't we take him around the kingdom tomorrow?"

Marinette and Adrien kept making eyes at each other. Tikki was looking at the scene in delight, and while Plagg was happy that some progress was being made, he still found the scene nauseating.

"Marinette, are you listening?" Tom asked.

"Oh, sorry," Marinette said, her attention redirected to her parents and her best friend. "Could you repeat that, Alya?"

"Honestly, you can't just go and daydream at the table with a guest! It's rude." Sabine lightly scolded.

"Sorry." Marinette said.

"As I was saying…" Alya continued.

Just then, Nino lifted the cloche off of his plate. Adrien looked in shock when she saw Nathalie was hiding behind the bowl.

Nathalie was spooked, and Adrien lifted his cloche off. He gestured for Nathalie to come over to his plate.

Nino watched as his fiancé and the royal family were talking about how to entertain Adrien the following day.

While no one else was looking, Nathalie scurried over to Adrien. Instead of hiding in his plate, Nathalie jumped into the inner pocket in Adrien's button-down shirt.

"What do you think?" Alya said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"I think that a tour sounds like a good idea," Marinette said, taking the cloche off of her plate. Tikki nodded in agreement. "Maybe getting out on the town might be what I need… Assuming Adrien is up for it."

Adrien smiled at his princess as she looked back at him.

She shyly asked him, "So, how does a tour around town tomorrow sound to you?"

Adrien nodded with delight while giving her a thumb's up, and then everyone smiled.

"Then it's settled. Now let's eat." Nino said, as he took up a spoon and started eating his soup. Everyone else started to eat their dinner, too.

Adrien had never had soup before, but he was aware that this particular kind had no trace of seafood in it at all. He internally thanked Nino for suggesting that he might be allergic. Just because Adrien wanted to live like a human didn't mean he wanted to eat fish. That was cannibalism by Atlantican standards.

Following everyone's lead, Adrien took up a spoonful of the purple broth and then he ate it. Adrien's eyes rolled in the back of his head in satisfaction, he smiled and then he let out a silent moan.

 _'DAAAAMMN! This is GOOD!'_ Adrien thought, in food heaven.

Seeing his reaction, Marinette giggled and said, "Cheng Shifu and Chef Césaire are great at cooking, aren't they?"

Adrien merely gave Marinette a smile and was still blushing.

Nino and Alya could clearly see that there were sparks flying between them, and they gave each other a grin.

Seeing the gears in the holders' heads turning, Plagg immediately gestured to Tikki, Trixx, and Wayzz, and then asked them to huddle up.

"What's going on?" Trixx asked in a whisper.

"Can you get Alya and Nino to meet up with me and Adrien later? And don't let Marinette know about this?" Plagg whispered.

The kwamis looked at each other before giving Plagg a nod.

* * *

After dinner, Marinette and her parents were discussing where to put Adrien for the night.

Nino volunteered to let Adrien sleep with him in his room. It was a two-person room with two king-sized beds. Adrien immediately took him up on the offer, delighted at the prospect of having a sleepover. Since he had no friends back in Atlantica, it was a new experience and he wanted to enjoy it thoroughly.

"You really are a lot of fun, Adrien," Nino said after seeing some of Adrien's other quirks, and he loved how Adrien took Plagg's gluttony in stride. "And you and Plagg seem to get along well enough."

Adrien smiled, nonverbally thanking Nino. It was no surprise that the two boys hit it off almost right away. Within minutes, Adrien had made a new _human guy friend._

"So Wayzz, whatever happened to Fu, your previous holder?" Plagg asked.

Adrien sent his kwami a curious look, as if asking who Fu was.

"Oh, Fu's the Guardian of the Miraculous and Wayzz's previous holder," Plagg explained to Adrien. "So, what changed?"

"He's still around, alive and well," Nino said with a shrug. "He just passed Wayzz and the Turtle bracelet on to me, as his successor."

"You're his successor?" Plagg asked.

"Nino's been training to become the next Guardian of the Miraculous since he was a child," Wayzz said. "And he, Alya, and Princess Marinette have been friends since childhood."

Now that they mentioned it, Adrien was wondering how his princess had gotten her Miraculous.

"Well, Fu's my unofficial adoptive great-grandfather, in a way," Nino said with a shrug. "Since I was five, I've been under his wing..."

_~Flashback - Narrated by Nino~_

_Nino, much younger, was sitting outside a fung shui carpet, meditating. Sitting in front of him across the carpet was an older, Chinese man wearing the turtle bracelet and a Hawaiian shirt. He was drinking tea from a cup, and Wayzz was flying next to him. Nino was breathing evenly and trying to tune out every outside disturbance in his environment._

_As if sensing something, Fu smiled and opened his eyes. He said, "Nino, I think Her Highness and Alya are here."_

_Nino opened his eyes as Marinette and Alya came into the room._

_"Hi, Nino. Hello, Master Fu." Marinette said, as she gave the older man a curtsy._

_"No need for formalities, Your Highness," Fu said, smiling. "Nino, since we have guests, shall we take a break from training?"_

_Nino smiled, stood up and walked over to his friends._

"Alya, Marinette and I have always been close. They would pay me and Master Fu visits whenever possible."

_The three kids were playing with three of the other kwamis - a purple one with butterfly wings, a yellow one with blue eyes and resembled a bee, and a dark blue one that had tail feathers - Nooroo, Pollen, and Dusuu, the kwamis of the Butterfly, Bee, and Peacock Miraculouses._

_"So someday, you'll be in charge of protecting and distributing these little guys?" Alya asked, as she cuddled with Dusuu. "I envy you, Nino!"_

_"I don't know about that," Nino said with a shrug. "Keeping the kwamis and the Miraculouses safe... and the fate of humanity... is a big responsibility. I'm not sure it's a job just anyone can do... Or_ want _."_

"Alya always talked about how much she envied me and would want a Miraculous of her own someday."

_Nino noticed the despondent look on the princess's face. Nino could tell that Marinette felt the same way as Alya did._

"And though she never said it, Marinette was jealous, too."

_Nino looked at Fu, who was watching the trio with a smile on his face. Wayzz was looking at them with delight, too._

"I always knew Fu saw something in me as the future guardian, but I wasn't sure what. But _I_ knew there was something in the girls that was worthy of a Miraculous..."

_Years later, Marinette and Alya were walking through town. Everywhere they went, people would bow or curtsy at the sight of their princess._

"When we were about eleven or twelve years old, that's when things changed."

_"So, what shall we do today, Marinette? A stop at the fabric stall?" Alya asked._

_"That sounds great!" Marinette said, as she and Alya made their way to the marketplace._

_"Hey! Leave him alone!" A familiar voice shouted. The girls soon realized that it was Nino._

_"That's Nino!" Alya stated, shocked at hearing their friend's shout._

_The girls instantly ran after the sound. They soon found Nino in the middle of the marketplace. He was fighting off some brutish-looking guys, and defending an old man wearing a cloak. And it was clear that no one else was stepping in to stop it._

_"Who do you think you are, trying to rob an old man like this?" Nino shouted, as he kept attacking the taller men._

"I was in the marketplace, minding my own business, when I caught some shady guys trying to rob and mug an old man..."

_"Nino can't take those people on by himself!" Marinette said. "I'm going to help him!"_

_"Me, too!" Alya said, and then the girls ran in to help._

_"Stop!" Marinette shouted, and then the thugs turned to the girls. Just then, Alya tackled one of them and brought him to the ground._

_"Marinette? Alya? What are you doing here?!" Nino asked. He watched the bespectacled girl trying to keep the man on the ground._

_"As if we'd let you fight these creeps off alone, Nino!" Alya said, and she started punching the man she had begun brawling with._

_Meanwhile, the princess stood firm._

_"Well, well, well, if it isn't the little princess and her lady-in-waiting," The thugs' leader sneered. "What are you going to do? Order us to put your shoe on your foot?"_

_Marinette rolled her eyes and stood her ground. Unknown to the thugs, Nino, and Alya... And the old man who was watching them intently, Marinette was actually analyzing the situation._

_She saw a rope on the ground nearby, remembered that she had a small sack of pearls in her back pocket (she planned to use them to make a dress or some accessory when she got back to the castle), and a group of buckets to her left. Instantly getting an idea, she smirked at the crooks._

_"Come and get me,_ scum _." Marinette said, giving a "come here" gesture with her finger._

_The leader started to charge Marinette, but the princess took out her pearls and dumped them onto the ground. He began to run on the pearls, and started slipping, sliding, and losing his balance. Alya, seeing what her friend had done, jumped off of the man she was wrestling with and kicked him so he would also stumble around on the pearls. All of the men started to slide around and lose their footing. Marinette giggled as she took the buckets and positioned them nearby. The men clumsily stumbled into the metal pails, their feet getting stuck, and then they all fell down into a heap. Marinette grabbed the rope and she and Alya tied the thugs up._

_Everyone was cheering for the heroics of the princess and her best friend._

"I honestly didn't expect Alya and Marinette to get involved, but I was so glad that they did. What happened next, I also couldn't have predicted either..."

_As the local authorities carted the goons away, the three kids approached the older man._

_"Are you okay?" Nino inquired._

_The man stood up without any problem, and then he said, "I'm quite fine, Nino."_

_"Wait a minute... Master Fu?!" Alya asked, recognizing the voice._

_The man took the hood down and revealed that it was indeed Fu._

_"Yes," Fu said, looking at the trio, pleased with what he saw. "Excellent work, all three of you."_

_"What do you mean?" Nino asked._

_"Nino, I got into trouble with those thugs on purpose. I knew you were going to be in the market today, so I staged this whole thing as a test to see if you were ready for your own Miraculous," Fu explained, before chuckling. "I hadn't planned for Alya and Her Highness to intervene, though."_

_"So... This was to test me?" Nino asked._

_"Yes, and you passed with flying colors," Fu said. "You are ready."_

_Nino smiled brightly, but his knees were knocking._

_Wayzz came out from hiding and gave Fu a look... One of sadness, but at the same time, excitement. As if a big change was about to happen that would alter the status quo for the kwami, but would be a new adventure for him, too._

_He gently slid off his Miraculous - the Turtle bracelet - off of his wrist and held it in his hand. After one sad nod, Wayzz went into the bracelet. It then changed colors. It turned dark green with three pale green triangle carvings inside._

_"Nino Lahiffe," Fu said, handing the bracelet to Nino. "As my successor, I present to you the Miraculous of the Turtle, which grants the power of protection. You are to use it to defend the realm."_

_Nino, seeing how huge of a responsibility taking Fu's Miraculous was, gave his mentor a firm nod and said, "I won't let you down, Master."_

_"I know you won't." Fu said, as Nino firmly took the bracelet._

_Holding it in his hand, Wayzz came out of the jewelry piece and started floating in front of Nino. Nino smiled at Wayzz, realizing that he was now his kwami, and slipped the bracelet onto his left wrist._

_"Congratulations, Nino!" Alya said, hugging him._

_"Oh, we're not done yet," Fu said with a smile. He gestured for the girls to come forward. "Alya Césaire. Your Highness. By jumping in head-first to help a friend and defend an older man, you demonstrated a kindness and sense of duty that is rare. For that, you have also earned your Miraculous."_

_The girls' hearts fell into their stomaches as they knew the serious responsibility that Fu was entrusting them with._

_"First, for Alya..." Fu began, taking out a dark red, octagonal box with red designs. "For your display of passion and knack for cunning, I give you the Miraculous of the Fox, which grants the power of illusion."_

_Alya took the box in her hand, opened it up to reveal a fox pendant on a necklace, and out in a blast of orange light, Trixx emerged._

_"You must be my kwami!" Alya said, as she and Trixx looked at each other._

_"Nice, you're quick on the uptake," Trixx said, with a satisfied smile on her face. "I'm Trixx!"_

_"I have a feeling the two of us will get along fine." Alya said, as Trixx landed on her shoulder._

_"And now for Marinette." Fu said, turning to the princess._

_"Me? But I couldn't possibly..." Marinette began._

_"Yes you_ can, _Marinette," Alya said. "You may be the princess, but you're so much more than that. You just proved that today by thinking on your feet and taking down those goons without any guards."_

_"Exactly. You're not limited by your title and status, Marinette. You showed leadership and creativity without hesitation," Fu said, as he took out a third box. "Princess Marinette,_ _you've shown kindness and willingness to help a stranger and a friend when they are in need. Thus, I bestow upon you_ _the Miraculous of the Ladybug, which grants the powers of creation and good luck."_

_Marinette, in awe, took the box, and opened it up to reveal a pair of red stud earrings with black spots. In a flash of red light, another kwami emerged - Tikki._

_"Hello, Princess! I'm Tikki, your kwami! It's an honor to meet you!" Tikki said, delighted to meet her new holder._

_"It's nice to meet you too, Tikki!" Marinette said, as she delightedly put the earrings in her ears. Tikki flew next to Marinette and sat on her shoulder._

_"I am counting on the three of you to maintain the peace and protect the kingdom. Nino will still be training to become the next guardian, but I expect you three young ones to work as a team at all times. Princess, can I trust you to do that?" Fu asked._

_"...Yes, Master Fu! Count on all three of us." Marinette said.  
_

"Fu gave all three of us our own Miraculouses. We've been a team ever since."

_~End of Flashback~_

"What about you, dude? How'd you get the ring? Last I heard, the Cat Miraculous went missing about fifty years ago when the previous holder disappeared." Nino asked Adrien.

Adrien looked down, a bit pensive. To start off with, he couldn't talk. How was he going to explain how he got Plagg _and_ convince Nino that merpeople were real?

"...Is it something you're not comfortable talking about? Now that I think about it, you haven't made a peep all day, dude." Nino said, as he noticed that Adrien was mute.

"I can answer that once the others get in here." Plagg said, speaking for Adrien.

There was a knock at the door, and in came Trixx, Tikki, and Alya.

"We're here." Alya said.

"Good." Plagg said, sitting on the bed next to Adrien.

"So, what did you want to talk about, Plagg?" Wayzz asked.

"Forget about what _Plagg_ wants to talk about, what we _need_ to talk about is how we're going to set up Adrien and Marinette! It's _obvious_ that they're into each other!" Alya insisted. "I'm going to play wing-woman…"

"Alya, Plagg has something important to say. We can't talk about playing matchmaker for the princess right now." Trixx said, interrupting.

"Actually, helping Adrien win over Marinette is _exactly_ what we need. And before dusk in the next two days. The lovesick kid…" Plagg said, shaking his head.

"What?" Tikki asked. "Talking about romance without gagging... That's not like you, Plagg."

"Tikki's right. This is the _last_ thing you'd want to talk about," Trixx said, noticing something was off. "What's going on?"

"Well…" Plagg started. Once he finished explaining everything to the group…

 _ **"SAY WHAT?!"**_ Everyone shouted.

"You mean to tell us that this _whole time_ you've been _underwater_ , and that Adrien is a _merboy?!_ " Wayzz asked, incredulous.

"That's right," Plagg said, solemnly. "And it was Adrien who saved Marinette during that hurricane."

"That explains why we sensed another kwami and Miraculous around when we found Marinette on the beach but couldn't find anyone. It was you guys!" Trixx stated, Tikki nodding in confirmation.

"Exactly. We had to get back into the water before we were seen." Plagg said, nodding.

"But if he's a merboy, then why…?" Alya began, gesturing to Adrien's legs.

"Adrien signed a contract with Hawk Moth the sea warlock. In exchange for his voice, he turned Adrien into a human for three days. That's why Adrien can't talk. But if he doesn't kiss Marinette before nightfall on the third day, he'll change back and both he and I are going to belong to him." Plagg explained.

"Then we _have_ to get Marinette and Adrien together!" Nino said, before turning to Adrien. "Don't worry, dude. I'll be your wingman!"

"Count on me to help, too." Alya said, thumb-jerking to herself.

"I won't say anything to Marinette," Tikki said, making a "zip your lips" motion. "It wouldn't be true love if she knew."

"Thanks, sugarcube." Plagg said.

Adrien smiled in gratitude. He was going to need all the help he could get. Since he couldn't talk, having some friends to help him win over his princess was definitely a plus.

Once it was dark out, Nino and Wayzz had left out of the room with Alya so they could have a strategy session.

Adrien was out on the balcony. He was looking out to the starry sky. He'd never seen the skyline at night before. Adrien also saw how different the human world looked in the evening, and it was beautiful.

"Come on, Tikki! Stop messing around!" Marinette giggled from below.

Adrien looked down and saw Marinette and Tikki playing with each other. Or rather, it was Marinette holding a little handmade dress for her kwami. And Tikki decided to tease Marinette by pretending to hate it and fly around to avoid getting stuffed into the dress.

Adrien gazed at his princess with a lovelorn look in his eyes. For him, a kiss from her would be pure heaven.

Marinette noticed Adrien watching and then she and Tikki waved at him from below. Adrien shyly waved back before walking back into his room.

"He's handsome, isn't he?" Tikki asked, trying to subtly pique Marinette's interest in the mute boy.

"Yes," Marinette said, blushing a bit. "Tomorrow should be fun."

In Adrien's room, he was getting ready to get some sleep.

He took off the button-down shirt as he made to change into the night clothes that Nino gave him.

Once the shirt was on the bed, Nathalie crawled out of her hiding spot and she moaned in annoyance.

"How degrading… I think that this has been the most undignified I've ever been in my life!" Nathalie complained.

Adrien was now in some nightwear and was once again combing his hair with the fork. Plagg sighed, knowing it would be a while before Adrien learned how to properly use flatware.

"Adrien, I _hope_ you understand and appreciate what I'm going through on your behalf!" Nathalie stated to him.

Adrien merely gave a shrug to the crab.

"Stop complaining, Nathalie," Plagg said, as he kept eating his camembert. "Everything's going fine."

"It can go _better_ ," Nathalie said, as Adrien sat on the bed. "Now, with Alya, Nino and the other kwamis in the fold, we can come up with a plan to get you to kiss the princess."

Rather than listen to Nathalie, Adrien sunk into the bed a little bit. It was so soft and cushy, especially when compared to the beds in Atlantica. They were made from coral and stones. Now _that_ was uncomfortable.

 _'Awesome! This bed feels great!'_ Adrien thought.

Adrien, pleased at the sensation and the texture, smiled with delight. He jumped onto the bed and landed on the mattress. Adrien snuggled up against the pillows and laid his head on one of them.

"When you're on that tour with her tomorrow, you have to look like the handsome prince that you are," Nathalie said. "You have to look her in the eyes and maintain that gaze, like this…"

Nathalie demonstrated seductive, flirty eyes that a man would often give a woman.

"Pay attention and give her small, romantic gestures whenever you get a chance…" Nathalie continued.

"Um, Nathalie? I don't think he's listening," Plagg said, chuckling. "Look."

Nathalie looked at the bed and saw that Adrien had fallen fast asleep, a smile on his face. It had been a long day for everyone in the room, Adrien especially.

Nathalie merely smiled, blew out the candle, and hopped onto the bed. She brushed a bang or two out of Adrien's face, before saying, "You're incorrigible, Adrien… Absolutely incorrigible."

She got herself comfortable on the pillow and she started to doze off. Plagg had finished off his cheese and slept on the other side of Adrien's head.

* * *

Back in Atlantica, Gabriel was in the throne room. He was swimming back and forth, worried about his son.

He looked at something he was holding in his hand: Emilie's brooch. Looking at it reminded him of how precious it was to her before the accident. Gabriel then mentally compared it to Adrien's collection.

After that argument in the grotto, Adrien and Plagg hadn't returned. Gabriel had expected Adrien to take a while to come back to the palace, hopefully with a changed opinion about humans. But he was still gone even after dark. Fraught with worry over his youngest, Gabriel had asked Félix and the rest of the guard to go out and find Adrien. They first checked the cave where Gabriel had last seen him, but he was gone.

Gabriel had since realized that he was too harsh on Adrien and that was most likely what drove him to leave. But the question was: where did he go?

"Father." Félix said, as he swam into the room to talk to the king.

"Have you found any clues yet?" Gabriel asked, worry lacing his tone.

Sadly, Félix shook his head and said, "Negative, Father. We've searched all over Atlantica, but Adrien and Plagg have basically vanished. Nathalie's missing, too."

Gabriel was disappointed to hear that no progress had been made. His face fell.

"Keep looking," Gabriel sternly demanded. He gripped the brooch tighter. "No one in Atlantica or the royal guard is to rest until Adrien and Plagg are back home, safe and sound."

"Understood…" Félix said, making to leave. However, he saw the remorseful look on his father's face.

Instead of leaving the room, he stayed in place, not sure what to say to Gabriel.

Félix was informed of everything that went down. He was both surprised and not at this revelation. Though he seldom had any time for Adrien anymore, that didn't mean that Félix didn't care or pay attention to him. So, Félix was aware for quite a while that his younger brother had a thirst for knowledge about humans, much like their mother. The only reason he never said anything to Gabriel was out of respect for Adrien's privacy. Félix had expected Adrien to amass a collection of human objects. But Félix had no idea that Adrien's fascination with humans would grow to the extent that he would fall in love with one. _That_ was the part that Félix did not see coming.

Félix was also worried about Adrien and wondered where he could have swam off to. He wanted to find him and Plagg and make sure they were brought back safely as much as the king did. But Félix also was of the opinion that Gabriel was in the wrong when he destroyed the cave. So he'd come to think that if his brother had no intention of coming home, then it was his right.

"…Permission to speak, father?" Félix asked, deciding to acknowledge the elephant seal in the room.

"Go ahead." Gabriel stated.

"I mean no disrespect, but it's your fault that Adrien's gone." Félix said, cutting to the chase.

"I'm fully aware of that, Félix!" Gabriel sternly said, frustrated and regretful.

Félix gave a hand and carried on with his argument.

"He's a lot like mother," Félix continued. "I'm sure Adrien understood that you wanted to keep him from dying the same way she did, but you went too far this time. For him to take off like this... All I can say is that it serves you right. At this point, I suspect that Adrien isn't even _in_ Atlantica anymore."

Gabriel fell silent and let Félix keep going.

"I've overheard Adrien and Plagg talking several times," Félix stated, continuing. "And Adrien has been the only merboy in existence to _ever_ hold a Miraculous. He probably felt like he belonged up with the humans instead of down here as a result. Falling in love with a human princess who also holds a Miraculous only made him want it more, I assume. At the end of the day, Plagg and Adrien know more about humans than we do, especially when you factor in Adrien's escapades to the surface _and_ Plagg's first-hand knowledge from living with them."

Gabriel remained quiet. His eldest had a very valid point.

"So, Adrien is right: as sad and scarring it was for all of us to lose mother, that's no reason to be hateful of all humans." Félix explained.

Gabriel let Félix's statements sink in, not saying a word.

"…I'll continue the search. But if he insists on not coming back, then I'm going to respect that and leave him alone." Félix said, before swimming out of the throne room and leaving his father with his thoughts.

Gabriel kept stewing over Félix's words and he looked at the brooch again. Losing Emilie was bad enough, but now Adrien was MIA, and it was all because of him.

"What have I done?" Gabriel sadly said, as he wondered where in the ocean his son was. "What in the world have I done?"

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Letting Alya, Nino, and the other kwamis in on the loop and giving Marinette, Alya, and Nino a backstory of how they got their Miraculous? That was the twist I was planning. Besides, I thought that since Adrien can't talk, and Nino and Alya are Marinette's wing-people in-universe, having Alya and Nino play this role for Adrien would help. But there's more coming!
> 
> And I felt the food allergy thing might be a legitimate excuse for Adrien not to eat seafood. Food allergies are NOTHING to joke about. It's no exaggeration that someone could die from an allergic reaction to what they eat. And since Adrien can communicate with fish, I'm certain the idea of eating sea animals makes him uncomfortable, so that's why I thought it was the right card to play.


	7. Kiss Him, Girl!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Adrien to start wooing! With his new friends aware of his circumstances, it won't be long until he starts winning Marinette's heart! But when trouble arises and the Miraculous holders have to step in, how will Adrien manage to be a superhero without being able to speak? And more importantly, will he get his kiss?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has the long-awaited "Kiss The Girl" scene that I'm sure many of you have been waiting for!

Early the next morning, Adrien was still asleep in bed. It was just _so comfortable_ that he did not want to get up. All of a sudden, the covers were yanked off of him.

"Up and at em', Adrien!" Nino shouted, as he gently shook the merboy by the shoulders, startling the blonde. "Marinette's not gonna fall for you and let you kiss her if you sleep all day, dude!"

Hearing that and instantly remembering his situation, Adrien swung his legs out of bed, stood up, and ran over to the closet that he and Nino shared. After briefly looking around, Adrien decided to go with what he wore the night before. It was better than rummaging around for a new outfit and wasting time.

"Great! That should work, since Marinette liked it last night," Nino said, giving Adrien a thumb's up. "Now let's get downstairs for breakfast. Knowing Tom and Sabine, they've probably baked up croissants, made some eggs, and baked up so many other breakfast pastries to eat. Sabine told me that you looked like you need to eat more."

Adrien was curious. He had never had a croissant, eggs, or anything else Nino had mentioned before, and wondered what they were like.

The two boys and their kwamis (Nathalie was hiding inside Adrien's shirt pocket again) dashed through the hallway, down the stairs, and into the dining room.

Marinette and her parents, Tikki, Trixx, and Alya were all waiting for the boys. On the table were plates filled with all sorts of human foods that Adrien had only seen in books. There was a tray that held golden crescents that shined in the sun, a large dish of fluffy, yellow clouds with black and white flecks inside, and it was steaming. There was a smaller dish of something red with a small knife, a plate with all kinds of colorful shapes - red triangle/hearts with green leaves, bright green orbs on brown branches, and a few large, red balls with stems. Finally, there were tall glasses of white liquid.

Just looking at all this human food made Adrien drool and his stomach growl.

"Oh, good morning, boys," Sabine said. "Adrien, come and sit down. You just look like you've gone days without eating."

Accepting the invitation, Adrien immediately took a seat, once again next to his precious Marinette, who had a croissant, some jam, a few strawberries and grapes, some of the scrambled eggs, and a glass of milk. As their shoulders bumped, Marinette made eye contact with him, blushed and giggled a little bit before turning away. She gave Tikki a grape, and the kwami instantly started eating it. Marinette kept stealing glances at Adrien, who kept staring at her with affection.

"This is going to be a great tour," Alya said, as she ate a big bite of egg, chewed and swallowed it. "It's been a while since we've been in town just for the fun of it."

"Yeah, and showing Adrien around will be really entertaining," Nino said, as he took a croissant, broke it, and started spreading some jam on it. "I just hope today is uneventful."

Learning from his mistakes from last time, Adrien just decided to just go with the "watch and learn" approach in order to learn about human table etiquette. He took a croissant, closely watched Alya as she ate hers, and followed her example. He took a bite, and his teeth crushed the crisp crust on the pastry. The flaky texture and buttery flavor of the croissant turned into a two-part harmony on his tastebuds. If Nathalie could compose a song about it, Adrien was certain it would pale in comparison to the real thing.

"Going one day without transforming to stop any trouble in town would be nice," Marinette said, before looking to Adrien. "On the other hand, I'm curious to see Adrien in action."

Adrien smiled, also hoping for an opportunity to impress his princess with his heroics. He did not want anything to interfere with his chances of getting a kiss from Marinette, but that said, he was happy that she was eager to see him do his thing as Cat Noir.

Once they had finished eating, the quartet and their kwamis got into the horse-drawn carriage, with Adrien and Marinette sitting in the front. With the driver gently having the horses ride into town, everyone was looking forward to a day with their new friend.

As the equines were walking, Adrien looked around in curiosity as he saw so many new things. The trees were as high as the eye could see, and the sun's light peeking through the leaves were like the spotlights that would be used in concert in Atlantica, only smaller and more subtle. The birds were smaller and much cuter, and one of them even landed on Adrien's hair. He gave a silent laugh before the bird flew away. Marinette could not help but look at him. Alya and Nino gave each other smiles, knowing that Marinette was growing fonder of the merboy without much help from them. The day was young, though.

"And we're here! The center of town!" Alya said. The carriage had stopped in front of the gates to the village. The group got out of the carriage and started to walk through the town square.

Adrien's eyes widened with awe and surprise as he saw all the humans going about their business. Walking down the cobblestone streets, washing their clothes in the fountain, seeing birds laying their eggs - chickens, he remembered someone saying - children playing with their toys, everything. It was like a dream come true to see all of this.

 _'This place is beautiful! I've always wondered what the humans' lives were like, but this is even better than I'd hoped!'_ Adrien thought, as he kept turning around and looking at everything.

"Wow, it's like he's never been in a marketplace before. Like a kid in one of the confectionary stores." Marinette commented, giggling at Adrien's enthusiasm.

Nino and Alya knew how true that statement actually was, but they did not tell Marinette. They wondered if they even _had_ marketplaces under the sea.

"Hey, Alya, let's go look around! Maybe we can find some new things to show to Adrien." Marinette said.

"Great idea, Marinette!" Tikki said.

"I'm in." Alya agreed, as she and Trixx followed her best friend. But not before stopping and turning to Nino.

"Keep an eye on blondie," Alya said, whispering so Marinette could not hear. "And make sure whenever he gets a chance, help him out to charm Marinette."

Nino gave his fiancé a "perfect" sign and said, "Count on me, babe."

Alya nodded, satisfied, before jogging after the princess.

Meanwhile, Nino kept close to Adrien. The shops had so many things the blonde had never seen before, and one stand even had a beautiful dress. It was pink with a bell skirt that went down to the ground, leg-o-mutton sleeves, and pearls were embroidered on the décolleté neckline.

Adrien ran over to the dress, and could only imagine Marinette wearing it.

 _'Wow! My lady would look ravishing in this!'_ Adrien thought.

"You like it?" The stall keeper said, and Adrien nodded. "Well, it's no surprise. This dress was actually designed by Her Highness."

"Really?" Plagg asked. Adrien knew she was into fashion design, but _this_ was something else.

"Indeed," The shop keeper said. "She truly is a talent."

Adrien was so happy that his lady's talent was legitimately recognized, that he decided to get it for Marinette. He reached out to grab it, only for Nino to snag his arm.

Adrien looked over to his friend, only to see Nino shake his head. Adrien gave him a questioning look.

"Dude, you can't just take something from the stall! You need to pay for it!" Nino whispered.

Adrien nodded in understanding. He knew exactly what Nino was talking about. They had a similar system back in Atlantica, but being a prince, he never had to worry about finances. Adrien looked in his pockets and realized that he had no human money.

"Oh, I get it. You're broke," Nino said, remembering Adrien's circumstances. "Don't worry, dude. Alya and I sort of expected this, so we'll pay for you if you want anything."

Adrien nodded as thanks.

"But Marinette is more than capable of designing her own clothes, and she's pretty modest. This probably wouldn't go over well with her." Nino said.

"Yes, she'd probably return it right away." Wayzz agreed.

"Well, there's nothing like a big slab of camembert to show a girl how you feel!" Plagg said, thinking about his cheese again.

Adrien just gave Plagg an unimpressed look. He was fairly certain that his lady would not like it.

Out of his peripheral vision, Adrien saw a flower stand. He remembered seeing pictures in his books of human men giving girls flowers and then getting a kiss in return. Adrien smiled and pointed over to the flower shop.

"Good thinking!" Nino said, as he and Adrien walked over to the flower stand.

"Ah, Monsieur Lahiffe!" The shopkeeper said, as he saw the two young men approach. "What can I do for you today? Are you here for flowers for Mademoiselle Césaire?"

"Well, yes and no. See, my buddy here has the hots for the princess, so I'm his wingman." Nino explained, leaving out the _other details_.

"I see," The shopkeeper said, a smile growing. "Well, nothing says _"je t'aime"_ better than red roses!"

"Alright, two thornless red roses, my good man." Nino said, as he placed a few gold coins onto the counter, and he was given the specified flowers in return. He handed one of them to Adrien.

The boys then wandered around other parts of the marketplace, trying to find the girls. Adrien kept looking around at other stalls and seeing what else he could give to his lady.

 _"LOOK! CHEESE!"_ Plagg shouted, and he immediately pointed to a cheese shop.

Adrien shook his head. He might as well get some camembert for Plagg just in case. Nino gave him a few coins, took the rose Adrien was holding, and the blonde, almost dreading the trip, walked inside the shop, holding his breath.

"How can that kwami stand the smell of that stuff?" Nino asked Wayzz.

"Plagg's always been into cheese." Wayzz replied, resigned.

Within minutes, Adrien dashed out of the shop with a big hunk of camembert, he stuffed it into his bag and shut it before releasing the air he held.

"That ought to sustain Plagg for a while," Nino said, as he handed the rose back to Adrien. "Let's get a move on."

As the boys kept walking around the marketplace, they soon caught up with the girls. Marinette was carrying a blue knit scarf.

Adrien was unsure of how to present the rose to Marinette. Nino nudged him and said, "Follow my lead."

"Alya!" Nino shouted, as he jogged over to the girls, hiding the rose behind his back. "I have something for you."

"What is it, Nino?" Alya asked.

"For you." Nino silkily replied, as he handed Alya the rose.

Alya's smile brightened and she gently took the flower in her hand.

"Oh, you shouldn't have!" Alya said, as she hugged Nino in response.

Adrien decided to take it a step further as he approached Marinette, a blush dusting his cheeks and his heart pounding. The rose was behind his back.

"Adrien, I found this scarf for you." Marinette said, as she wrapped the scarf around Adrien's neck.

The softness of the wool felt great on his skin, and being close to Marinette was also nice. He smiled at Marinette, showing he was grateful for the present.

 _'Come on, dude, go for it!'_ Nino thought. He and Alya watched as Adrien made a move.

Adrien slowly presented the rose to Marinette, and gave the princess an affectionate smile. Marinette blushed and smiled in response, and made to take the rose. However, Adrien beat her to the punch and gently slid the rose behind one of Marinette's ears. Marinette's cheeks went as red as the rose, and Adrien kept looking at his lady with love.

Tikki grinned in delight, and though it made Plagg want to throw up, he nodded in approval.

Adrien chanced a look at Nino and Alya, and both were aghast at how fast he learned. Nino gave Adrien a thumb's up.

"Nice, he took it to the next level! Pretty clever." Nino whispered to his fiancé. They shared a fist bump.

Marinette gave him a smile, and Adrien's heart melted at the sight. He was about to lean in to kiss her when he heard music coming from the center of the square.

Looking to the source, he saw that there were many pairs of humans dancing along to a few instruments being played. He immediately saw a piano was amongst the group.

He took Marinette's hand and he brought her to the band. Realizing where Adrien was going and what he was planning, Alya and Nino followed suit. A romantic dance was sure to give the two of them a chance to bond and fall in love.

"So, you want to dance?" Marinette asked.

Adrien nodded. He gave a polite bow, and then he took her hand. Realizing it was his first time dancing, he looked around and just decided to mimic the humans. Adrien also saw what Nino and Alya were doing and then he got an idea of what to do.

He placed his hand on her waist, and took her other hand into his own. Following the steps of the others around him, Adrien managed to pick up the movements really fast. He was a quick learner.

He decided to be a bit bolder. Once the piano music's pitch went up, he grabbed Marinette by the waist and lifted her up. Marinette smiled and giggled at this action as she kept looking Adrien in the eyes. The merboy-turned-human spun her around a bit in the air before putting her down and continuing to dance.

Marinette's grin only grew, as she was truly enjoying her time dancing with Adrien.

 _'Wow... He's certainly something.'_ Marinette thought, blushing and feeling her heart pound. Looking at Adrien's smile, she grew a bit shy, and then she gently laid her head against his chest.

Delighted that she was willing to get this close to him this early on, Adrien gently rested his cheek on her head, and pulled her a bit closer. At that moment, he was in his own world with Marinette at his side.

Alya and Nino saw this and they were grinning and mentally applauding him.

"Does Adrien even _need_ our help? He's doing _great_ on his own." Nino whispered to Alya, impressed with Adrien.

"I know," Alya said. "For a fish out of water, he's adjusting almost perfectly."

Adrien opened his eyes to gaze at Marinette once more, but out of the corner of his eyes, he noticed the pianist was getting a bit tired. Adrien remembered that he he played the sea piano, and seeing that the ones humans used were near-identical, he got an idea: to win over Marinette, why not show off his music skills?

He gave her a hand signal that said "Wait here," and then he ran over to the pianist.

Adrien tapped the pianist on the shoulder, and pointed to the music sheet stand. The pianist asked, "You want to play a song?"

Adrien nodded with joy. The pianist, needing a break, decided to let the boy have a chance.

Marinette, surprised, walked over to Adrien as he sat at the piano bench, stretched his finger joints and cracked his knuckles.

"You play piano, Adrien?" Marinette said. "You're full of surprises."

Adrien gave her a smile and patted the seat next to him. Marinette shrugged and sat down.

 _'Okay, m'lady, let's see if I can make you swoon!'_ Adrien thought, as he took a deep breath to relax. He then started tinkling the ivories.

Adrien played some notes that _seemed_ random and sporadic at first, but then the sound that flowed out turned into a cohesive, beautiful song.

Adrien was playing the very first song he ever learned. He would practice it whenever he had the chance back in Atlantica. It was the same love song that his father performed for his mother during their courting years. If Gabriel was able to woo Emilie with piano music, Adrien thought that he could do the same with Marinette.

Marinette gazed at Adrien in awe. Tikki was surprised to hear the music, too. Everyone else in the crowd started to slow dance. No one else in the orchestra knew the song, so they just let Adrien fly solo.

"Wow. They have pianos under the sea?" Alya asked in a whisper.

"He _definitely_ knows his stuff." Wayzz commented.

Once Adrien finished his song, he turned to face Marinette. He tuned out the applause of everyone else, and he merely gave Marinette a romantic gaze, hoping she liked what she heard. Marinette applauded heavily, _very_ impressed with Adrien's playing.

"That was amazing! It's like you've been playing your whole life!" Marinette said, praising Adrien's work.

Adrien gave a silent chuckle and rubbed the back of his neck, blushing. Ironically, she was right: he _had_ been playing piano since he was a very young child.

Getting confident, he decided to give something a try.

 _'Maybe this will be my chance to kiss her.'_ Adrien thought.

He gently placed a hand against Marinette's cheek, just like when he was singing to her after he came to her rescue. Marinette felt some deja vu and kept looking at Adrien in his eyes. Her cheeks reddened a bit, and the rest of the group watched in anticipation.

But just as the merboy was about to lean in to kiss Marinette...

There was a loud crash and several screams coming from nearby.

 _"STAMPEDE!"_ Someone shouted.

Then there was... mooing and the thundering of hooves on the ground? Alya, Marinette, and Nino looked up and saw that a large cattle and oxen stampede headed for the center of town. At the sight of the huge number horned bovine, the majority of the citizens were running for cover. Marinette and the others stayed put.

 _'What? What's going on?'_ Adrien thought, utterly confused.

He had _never_ seen something like this happen before. He could understand merpeople and other sea life swimming for shelter at the sight of a shark, algal blooms, or anything of that nature, but this was new.

"Looks like Mr. Ramier's cows got loose again," Alya sighed. "But it seems even _worse_ this time. The oxen are running wild, too."

"Ready?" Marinette said, with a playful shake of her head.

Considering how calm his lady and her friends were, and what they were saying, Adrien inferred that this was a frequent occurrence.

_"Tikki, spots on!"_

_"Trixx, let's pounce!"_

_"Wayzz, shell on!"_

After transforming, Ladybug took charge of her team.

"Let's try herding the cows and oxen and rounding them up so they don't scatter and go in different directions!" Ladybug hollered, as she and her friends started running alongside the rampaging animals. They were able to keep pace with the quadrupeds.

Ladybug was readying her yo-yo, ready to lasso any oxen or cattle that managed to break free from the herd. Carapace and Rena Rouge were pushing any straying members of the herd back inside. Ladybug was ahead of the group, keeping an eye on the leader.

Adrien, on the other hand, did not move. Rather, he just sat on the bench, perplexed. What was he supposed to do?

 _'How can I transform if I can't talk?!'_ Adrien thought, about to panic.

"Just say it! It's the lip motions that activate the Miraculous, not the actual words." Plagg stated to Adrien.

"And how do you know this?!" Nathalie hissed from her hiding spot. She leaped out of the pocket. "Have you ever had a mute holder before?!"

"Actually, yes." Plagg flatly stated.

Adrien breathed a sigh of relief before silently calling out, _"Plagg, claws out!"_

After transforming into Cat Noir, he smiled and thought, _'Nice! Now I can try out my legs as a superhero!'_

Before he could take off, Nathalie jumped back into one of his pockets. Cat Noir started running after his friends, covering the rear of the stampede.

"Cat Noir, good for you to show up, dude!" Carapace shouted from his left. "We could use your help!"

"We've dealt with Mr. Ramier's livestock stampeding in the past, but not like this!" Rena Rouge commented.

While trying to keep pace, Cat Noir tried his best to think of an idea. He had to work without Ladybug in the past, so he had a lot of practice with thinking on his feet. Or rather, fins at the time.

 _'Okay, gotta think!'_ Cat Noir thought.

He noticed a clearing up ahead and noticed that they were heading for it. It was wide and it was enough room for all the cattle. He came out from behind the herd, ran on all fours to catch up to Ladybug, and then he stood back on his legs before pointing out to the clearing.

"Good idea!" Ladybug said, smiling at Cat Noir.

She made ready to stop the cattle, and thanks to Cat Noir's cue, she knew what to do. She jumped onto one of the cattle.

 _"Lucky Charm!"_ Ladybug shouted and then shot her yo-yo into the air. In a flurry of ladybugs, a giant red and black-spotted sack of alfalfa landed in her hands.

"Alfalfa?" Ladybug questioned, staying on top of the lead steer. She then had an idea. "Rena Rouge! Use your Mirage to conjure up an illusion of a grassy field!"

"Got it!" Rena Rouge shouted back.

Ladybug used her yo-yo to throw the alfalfa sack into the clearing. Rena Rouge took this as her cue.

She took out her flute, blew a few notes, and then shouted, _"Mirage!"_

A ball of yellow light shot out of the flute and landed near the alfalfa. An image of a grassy field was soon created, and the oxen and cattle made a beeline for it.

"Nice work, Rena Rouge!" Carapace said, as he and Rena Rouge shared a high-five.

The cattle ran to the alfalfa and started eating it up. The illusion started to fade away, but the bovines were none the wiser.

"Now we just got to find a way to secure them." Ladybug said.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir kept looking around to see what he could do to help. He saw a gargantuan boulder nearby. Looking at his claws, he realized that if he could break the boulder, it could keep the cattle from moving around.

 _'Bingo!'_ He thought.

He jumped onto the boulder and then mouthed out, _"Cataclysm!"_

He used his ring hand and touched the boulder. It turned black and then it crumbled into large, huge hunks of rock. They all fell down to create a small makeshift stone wall, barring the cows from going anywhere.

Proud of himself, Cat Noir walked back to the team and came face-to-face with Ladybug.

"Great job, Cat Noir!" Ladybug said.

"Impressive, kitty," Rena Rouge said. "No humor intended, but this _definitely_ wasn't your first rodeo."

Cat Noir silently laughed out loud at this unintended joke. Unable to contain herself, Ladybug started laughing, too. Once they calmed down, Cat Noir took hold of Ladybug's hand, brought it to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Ladybug's face as red as her mask at that moment, but Carapace and Rena Rouge were watching in delight.

Cat Noir looked up at Ladybug underneath his eyelids. His cat-like eyes were just gorgeous, and Ladybug was lost in them for a second. Realizing she was gawking, she pulled her hand away and shyly shuffled around on the balls of her feet.

 _"S-S-Spots off."_ Ladybug stuttered, breaking her transformation. She gave Tikki a cookie that she had bought for her earlier.

The others called their transformations off and fed their kwamis, too.

"Oh, my cows!" A lanky man with spiky hair, wearing a fedora, and had a few birds on his shoulder came running up to the group. " _Merci_ , Your Highness."

"It's no trouble at all," Marinette giggled. "Just be more careful with your oxen and cattle. How many times this month have they broken out?"

"Too many," Mr. Ramier said. "Can you please help me get these creatures back to my pasture?"

"Don't worry, Alya and I can handle it," Nino said, as he stepped up to help. "This will be no problem."

"You two should keep spending time together," Alya said, speaking up to ensure Marinette and Adrien got closer. "Nino and I can take care of this."

"Are you sure?" Marinette asked.

"Positive." Alya said with a smile and a shrug.

"Come on, let's get these livestock back where they belong." Trixx began. She and Wayzz started to fly after their holders, but Alya and Nino gently pulled their kwamis aside.

"Oh, no! You two need to go along with Marinette and Adrien to make sure that they kiss!" Nino stated.

"But we need to be with you 24/7. Master Fu's orders." Wayzz complained.

"Not this time," Alya insisted with a shake of her head. "Anything to help those two hurry up and begin making out!"

Trixx and Wayzz looked at each other before turning back to their holders and giving them a firm nod.

"Count on us!" Trixx stated, as the two kwamis started to go after the princess and the merboy.

* * *

The carriage brought the two teenagers to a nearby lagoon. By then, the sun had already set and the stars were beginning to come out.

The pair got out of the carriage and made their way to a nearby rowboat. Adrien stepped in first, and like a true gentleman, he helped Marinette get in. They sat down, and the kwamis took the oars and started to row.

Kim had been following them all day, and he had landed nearby. He was also getting worried for his friend.

"Nothing's happened at all, and there's only one day left! I can't believe that girl hasn't puckered up even once!" Kim muttered, nervous and wringing his hands.

Adrien, instead of looking at his surroundings, kept gazing at Marinette. He rested his face on his fisted hand and was staring at her with smitten eyes. Everything else seemed to fade out of sight.

 _'She's so beautiful...'_ Adrien thought. Marinette was looking around at the lagoon, taking in the scenery. Adrien could hear her muttering something about fashion designs in the future.

She caught him staring and gave a shy grin and a blush on her face. Adrien's expression did not change at all.

"Okay, desperate times call for desperate measures!" Kim declared, realizing the current atmosphere was getting the romance nowhere.

He flew to a branch that was near Adrien and Marinette, but it was occupied.

"Move aside, ladies!" Kim said, as he shoved some bluebirds off the branch and stood up. "Time for the best tenor in town to take the stage."

He cleared his throat, and then once he opened his beak... What came out was a noise equitable to fingernails on a blackboard, plus violins that were improperly tuned, being poorly played and had broken strings, combined with a hunted animal's dying moans and screams.

"Ugh, someone should put that poor thing out of its misery!" Marinette said, wincing and covering her ears with her hands.

Adrien grimaced with a weak, pained smile as he looked up to the tree branch. Kim gave him a wink and a "perfect" sign with his feathers.

The merboy face-palmed while thinking, _'Kim, you're HORRIBLE! You have the right idea, but you're being as helpful as leeches on a dead merman!'_

It went without saying that the kwamis were not enjoying Kim's "singing" either. It was so bad that they stopped rowing. Plagg and Trixx had to fold their ears down to drown the seagull out. The sound was grinding against their eardrums and it made them shudder with disgust.

Nathalie, also blocking out Kim's racket, complained, " _Mon dieu_ , I'm surrounded by _incompetents._ "

"I'll go shut him up." Plagg volunteered. Adrien nodded to his kwami furiously as he flew to the branch to stop Kim from "singing."

Sneaking up from behind the gull, Plagg gave a hard shove and knocked Kim onto a rock below, silencing him.

"Good..." Nathalie said, before diving into the water. "You know what they say: "If you want something done right, do it yourself.""

She saw a few thick pieces of seagrass and cut them with her claw to make batons. She swam back up to the surface, and then she rendezvoused with the other kwamis, some ducks, and a few turtles. She passed the three smaller batons out to the kwamis, keeping the larger one for herself.

"Okay, team, now we have to create... the _ambiance_." Nathalie began, and then she started to give instructions.

"Percussions!" Wayzz stated, as he began leading the ducks and turtles. The turtles turned over on their backs and let the ducks drum them.

"Strings!" Tikki asked, as she directed a few crickets. They started playing music by rubbing their legs together.

"Winds!" Trixx spoke. She broke some of the reeds in the grass and the wind blew, playing music. Trixx added to the song by taking up a small piece of reed and started playing it like a flute.

"Words." Nathalie began, climbing onto a cattail. She started singing while leaning in closer to Marinette. Plagg had returned to Adrien's side and sat next to him again.

 _"There you see him, sitting there across the way,"_ Nathalie began, as Marinette kept staring at Adrien, who took the time to look around at a water environment from above the surface. _"He don't got a lot to say, but there's something about him."_

Adrien saw what Nathalie was up to, but made sure his attention was still on the princess. Marinette started to wonder if she was hearing things because she could have sworn music was playing.

 _"And you don't know why, but you're dying to try, you wanna kiss him, girl."_ Nathalie sang, singing the last part closer to Marinette's ear before leaning away.

"Um... Do you hear music or something?" Marinette asked, as she looked around.

Adrien shook his head with a smile while Nathalie continued with her plan.

 _"Yes, you want him. Look at him, you know you do."_ The crab sang along with the ducks, turtles, and kwamis.

Marinette shyly kept her eyes on Adrien. It was as if the music was guiding her and trying to tell her to give in to her budding feelings for the mute blonde.

Adrien, who was nervously rubbing the back of his neck, quickly noticed Marinette was looking at him and he returned her gaze. The adorable rosiness on her cheeks was so endearing.

 _"Possible he wants you, too. There is one way to ask him,"_ Nathalie sang, being joined by a flamingo. _"It don't take a word, not a single word. Go on and kiss him, girl."_

Adrien started to lean in and pucker his lips, but Marinette drew back, a little timid. She took the oars of the boat and started rowing, since the kwamis were elsewhere. Adrien's face fell in frustration.

Seeing this, Nathalie poked her head under the water and said, "Sing with me now."

As the boat moved across the water, a few frogs poked their heads out and began singing, _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, my oh my! Looks like she's way too shy. Ya ain't gonna kiss him, girl!"_

Adrien rested his cheek against his hand again, impatiently thinking, _'Come on, kiss me! I can't stay with you forever if you don't!'_

 _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, ain't that sad? Ain't it a shame? Too bad. You're gonna miss him, girl."_ Nathalie sang. Tikki, Trixx, and Wayzz, while still maintaining the music, were getting weary of this situation. Even Plagg was wanting the two of them to hurry up and kiss, and he found romance disgusting.

As the two Miraculous holders were still sitting in the boat, Marinette had stopped rowing and decided to just let the boat go where it would. She was starting to feel a bit braver, so she began to talk to Adrien.

"Adrien... Today has been a lot of fun," Marinette began, fiddling with the rose that she kept behind her ear. "You giving me this rose, playing the piano, everything... You're a very sweet guy."

Adrien blushed and smiled shyly.

"And you _definitely_ proved that you don't have the Cat Miraculous for nothing. I was having some trouble thinking of an idea to stop that stampede, and thanks to you, not only did we corral those cows, but no one got hurt," Marinette admitted to him. "No matter how you got it, you have it for a reason."

Adrien gave his Princess a grin in response before gently taking one of her hands. Like when they were on the beach when he saved her, Adrien interlaced their fingers and brought her hand to his face. He touched the back of her hand to his cheek, and then he turned his face to kiss it before looking at Marinette.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat in nostalgia. She felt a sense of déjà vu, but strangely, it was a pleasant sensation.

 _'There's something familiar about this... I don't know what or why, but... But I like it.'_ Marinette thought. Her cheeks deepened a bit before her mouth curled up into a smile.

 _"Now's your moment. Floating in a blue lagoon."_ Nathalie crooned. Two herons had flanked the boat and they parted a willow tree's leaves and branches using their beaks. The lagoon currents led the boat underneath it.

Once they were under the canopy of the willow tree, Adrien held Marinette's hands in his own, making sure to maintain eye contact.

 _"Hurry up and do it soon, no time will be better."_ Nathalie sang, as she peeked her head out of the water and continued to croon.

Nathalie noticed that Marinette seemed more comfortable and almost _eager_ to kiss Adrien. Granted, she seemed a bit shy still, but there was still progress being made.

 _"He don't say a word, and he won't say a word until you kiss him, girl!"_ Nathalie sang. She dove underneath the waters and gathered up some more marine life to help guide the duo along.

The sea animals circled the boat from underneath, creating a current that kept the boat in place and gently spun it around.

 _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't be scared! The mood is all prepared! Go on and kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)"_ They sang, alongside the kwamis.

A few fireflies joined in and started circling around the pair. The smaller lights did nothing to distract the young humans from each other, and Adrien kept staring at Marinette with romantic, seductive eyes.

 _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, don't stop now! Don't try to hide it how! You wanna kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)"_ The chorus sang.

Marinette kept looking at Adrien with the same expression and was failing to focus on anything else. Adrien noticed this, and was feeling good about his prospects for a kiss.

 _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, float along, and listen to the song,"_ The flamingos began, but Kim tried to join in. Luckily, the flamingos shut him up before he could do anything. _"Song say kiss him, girl! (Whoa, whoa!)"_

Marinette scooted a bit closer to Adrien, feeling comfortable. The scene was _perfect_. The fireflies dancing around them, the boat slowly spinning, the water jets that the fish were spitting out, the music, everything. Adrien could not imagine a better moment to share his first kiss with Marinette.

 _"Sha-la-la-la-la-la, music play, do what the music say, you gotta kiss him, girl!"_ The chorus continued.

Adrien maintained an amorous gaze on Marinette while thinking, _'I love you, Marinette!'_

As if she could tell what he was trying to tell her, Marinette's eyes widened and her cheeks began to match her Ladybug suit. She smiled a bit. Adrien took one of his hands and cupped Marinette's cheek. He gently ran his thumb over her lips. Marinette immediately knew that he wanted to kiss her, and oddly enough, she was okay with this. She gave a small nod and Adrien's heart pounded against his ribcage. The two Miraculous holders kept eye contact, and they slowly started to lean in.

All the animals around them were getting excited. The birds were jumping from side to side on the branches, the fish and ducks were smiling in anticipation, and everyone was silently cheering them on. The kwamis were watching with wide, hopeful eyes and Tikki was saying, "Do it, do it, do it!"

Marinette's eyes started to slowly close as Adrien leaned in closer, his lips beginning to pucker up. Marinette unconsciously started to mirror his movements, feeling safe, her heart fluttering.

 _"Go on and kiss him, girl!"_ Nathalie sang, as she gripped Kim's neck and shook him as she watched with hope.

Marinette and Adrien's lips were only about a centimeter apart. Adrien's heart was on a high at the thought of finally getting to kiss his lady. To Marinette, everything about this situation felt _right_.

But just as Adrien was about to plant his lips against hers, something shoved the boat from the side. It flipped over and it sent Marinette and Adrien into the water.

Everyone moaned and complained, Nathalie face-clawed and the kwamis shouted in frustration. All that work, they were only _a second_ away from a smooch, and the notorious bad luck of the black cat just _had_ to strike and ruin everything!

Adrien immediately stood up and grabbed Marinette to help her stand, too.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted, as she and Plagg flew over to their holders were okay. "Are you alright?"

"I... I'm okay, other than wet," Marinette said, catching her breath, before turning to Adrien. "Thank you."

"Come on, we'd better get back to the castle. Alya and Nino are _not_ going to be happy to hear about this." Trixx said to her fellow kwami. She and Wayzz flew over to the teenagers.

Nathalie dove into the water to go hide in Adrien's pocket again. They then made their way back to the carriage to go back to Marinette's palace.

However, no one noticed something vital: Chloé and Lila were the ones who tipped the boat. Smirking at each other, they gave each other a high-five with their tails and held them in triumph. They laughed mischievously.

"Well done, girls!" Hawkmoth praised. He had seen everything from his lair and was _not happy_. "That was _way too close_. That little...! _Urgh_ , I underestimated him."

He immediately swam up to his cabinet and opened it up. Hawkmoth shoved some ingredients around, saying, "If this keeps up, those two will be making love before _noon_ , let alone kissing by sunset! Time for this warlock to take matters into his own tentacles!"

The warlock took out a small orb that held two land butterflies, a monarch and a blue morpho specifically, and a pair of bottles.

Swimming to the cauldron, Hawkmoth threw the bottles into it, causing a small explosion of smoke. He tossed the butterflies inside the cauldron and the brew turned bright purple.

"I _will_ get Gabriel's son! Then I'll make him cringe, and he'll be sea clay in my hands!" Hawkmoth declared, as he gripped his brooch.

The bluish-purple fumes and akumas from the cauldron surrounded him. As this went on, he started laughing like a triumphant maniac. His body started to magically alter itself, from his age being reversed to hair growing on his head. His cane started to shift and transform. But most importantly, his voice started to change, and it sounded _a lot_ like Adrien's...

* * *

Back at the castle, the moon had risen to its peak. The pair and the kwamis arrived inside the main hallway, where they were greeted by Alya and Nino.

"Hey, glad you're back!" Nino said, as he arrived. "You're soaked... What happened?"

"A lot," Marinette said. Adrien took a towel from one of the maids and started to rub Marinette's head with it. "Thank you, Adrien."

Adrien smiled in response. Since he had lived in the ocean most of his life, he was used to being wet, so all the water on his skin and clothes did nothing to bother him.

Nino noticed that Marinette was blushing and being shy with Adrien. There was _clear_ affection and love in her expression.

Trixx floated over to Alya, with a disappointed, frustrated, and annoyed look on her face.

"Judging by the looks on your faces, I assume things hit the fan?" Alya asked her kwami, her voice quiet.

Trixx sighed and said, "You're right. And after all that work."

"Don't worry, there's still tomorrow. And considering how much chemistry those two are having, I'd say a kiss isn't too far off." Alya whispered, optimistic.

"It's late," Plagg said, speaking up. "Maybe we should get cleaned up and get some rest."

"Good idea, Plagg," Tikki said. "See you two tomorrow."

Before parting ways for the night, Adrien once again took Marinette's hand into his own and kissed the back of it. Marinette looked at Adrien with a smile, not bothered by the hand kisses anymore.

Adrien slowly pulled his hand away from the princess. With some sadness in his face, Adrien started to walk to the washroom to get himself cleaned up.

Marinette merely watched as Adrien left, loosing a wistful sigh. She started to hum a bit as she walked up the stairs to go to her bathroom and get ready for bed, Tikki following behind.

Alya and Nino saw that look on her face, and then the pair shared a high-five.

"This is great! They'll definitely kiss before dark tomorrow!" Nino said, with Wayzz smiling in agreement.

"Just so long as nothing else goes wrong or interferes." Alya said, unaware that she had jinxed it. Unbeknownst to anyone, interference _was_ about to occur.

About half an hour later, Adrien was in his room, wearing his night clothes, and sighing silently. He was nearing the end of his rope. He was _so close_ to kissing Marinette, but his luck was as bad as always. He was getting a bit anxious. He only had until sundown the next day, otherwise he and Plagg would be stuck under the rule of Hawkmoth. If the stories that he had heard were true, then that would have been a fate worse than death. Adrien would be a merboy once more, he would never see Nino or the others again, and worst of all, he would never get to taste and feel the touch of Marinette's sweet, pink lips.

Plagg had noticed that Adrien was concerned, and said, "Kid, you've got until dusk tomorrow. And if today's nauseating results are any indication, you two are sure to kiss by then without a doubt!"

Nathalie was still pacing, grumbling about how her musical artistry was once again given the brush off, and it would have _worked_ if the boat had not capsized.

Adrien quirked a smile for the briefest of moments before walking out to the balcony and looked at the moon. It was certainly beautiful out and it reminded him of Marinette's smile.

Speaking of the princess, Adrien saw Marinette out on the terrace near one of the towers. She was humming along to the tune that was played at the lagoon earlier. Just hearing it made him feel more frustrated. He appreciated Nathalie's help, but no thanks to the boat flipping over, he missed his chance to kiss her.

Now that he thinking of it, if he could tell Marinette the truth, he would have done so by now and that would have solved everything. On the other side of that coin, he wondered if the kiss _would_ be that of true love if she knew. That was a point Tikki had made earlier.

Adrien remembered that the only thing stopping him from coming clean was the fact that he was without a voice. However, like the sea warlock told him, he was doing fine without it. Seemed like he took to being a human easily, thanks to the help of the others.

Deciding not to overthink anything, he left the balcony and went back into his room.

Marinette had caught Adrien going inside, gave a dreamy smile and yearning sigh. She then went back to humming the song from earlier.

"Marinette..." Tikki began, delighted that Marinette was clearly infatuated with Adrien.

"Yes, Tikki?" Marinette asked, a bit absentmindedly.

"About that boy..." Tikki said, trying to broach the subject.

"Adrien? He's amazing, isn't he?" Marinette said, sighing once more.

"Not Adrien. I was referring to the one who saved you." Tikki said, trying to get Marinette's attention.

"Again, Tikki?" Marinette asked, exasperated. "I'm tired of hearing about him. He hasn't come to claim responsibility, so I don't see why I should think he's real."

"And I agree with you," Tikki said, catching Marinette by surprise. "What I'm trying to say is that maybe you're right and we should forget about finding him. Especially since I can tell you're happy with Adrien. He's made you smile, laugh, and more. The two of you almost kissed tonight, too!"

"You've been insisting that a boy came to my rescue, and _now_ you're changing your tune? What's going on, Tikki?" Marinette asked, a little suspicious.

Tikki _wanted_ to tell Marinette the truth. That it was Adrien who saved her, that he was a merboy, the deal with Hawkmoth, everything. But she also did not want to chance the possibility that any kisses would not be those of true love, but of gratitude. She decided to be honest about it after the situation was resolved. She knew Marinette would not be happy about it at first, but it would hopefully work itself out in the end.

"I've been thinking over today's events, and what you've been saying," Tikki continued. "It's pointless to wait around and look for someone who was probably a figment of your imagination. Adrien's real, and it's clear to me that you like him."

"You're right, Tikki," Marinette said with a smile. "Adrien's flesh and blood... Chivalrous, a gentleman, talented in so many fields, a hero, romantic... And so charming. I can't help but love him."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Tikki encouraged. "Go and talk to him!"

The princess stood up and started to walk to Adrien's room, with Tikki following behind. But then out of nowhere, the sound of a guitar and a boy's voice rang out from below.

Curious, Marinette looked down to the beach. She could not discern why, but the voice sounded familiar to her. In the fog, she could see the figure of a boy about two years older than her sitting on a rock, and he had a guitar in his hands. The young man was vocalizing and playing the instrument at the same time.

Marinette squinted her eyes, not sure of what was going on.

 _'Wait a second! That's Adrien's voice! But he gave it to the sea warlock, so why...?'_ Tikki thought, noticing that the voice belonged to Adrien and detecting a few red flags that gave her chills.

Marinette took a closer look at the boy. From what she could see, his hair seemed to be in two colors and his eyes were green. He was wearing some kind of accessory around his neck, and it was glowing bright purple. There was some sort of mist coming out of the object and it was heading for Marinette. The sound of the voice kept echoing. There was an ethereal, almost mystical tone about it.

"Marinette, don't listen!" Tikki said, realizing something was wrong.

As the mist reached Marinette, she grew nervous and was about to run, but it invaded her eyes. Her pupils turned from black to lavender. She placed her hands on her head and began stumbling around in pain.

"No... No! This isn't real! That boy was _never_ real! I was only dreaming! Adrien is the one I love, I..." Marinette began, trying to resist the magic. Her pupils kept flashing from purple to black.

Apparently, the boy below noticed this and kept vocalizing and strumming the guitar. The magic got stronger, and while Marinette continued to try to defy its call, Tikki looked at her holder with worry.

"Marinette, you have to fight it!" Tikki shouted, flying around her holder. "Focus on Adrien! _Adrien!_ Keep thinking about him!"

Marinette tried to fill her mind with thoughts of the blonde boy who had stolen her heart, but at some point, Marinette grew still, her arms fell to her sides, a blank facial expression and a butterfly shape appeared in front of her face, and her pupils turned fully purple.

"No..." Tikki whispered, scared...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now we've got trouble.
> 
> I'm sure you've figured it out by now, but Hawk Moth has disguised himself as Luka! Now remember: I wrote this during Season 2, so "Luka" will NOT have Sass, okay?


	8. Crash the Wedding!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh! Hawk Moth has now disguised himself as a young man named Luka and has hypnotized Marinette into thinking he's the one who saved her in the storm. The spellbound princess demands a wedding that night. 
> 
> But Tikki and everyone else IMMEDIATELY knows something isn't right, but that doesn't stop Adrien from being heartbroken over the whole thing. And he's running out of time, to boot!
> 
> Will Marinette marry the wrong man, or will Adrien be able to reach her and crash the wedding in time for his kiss?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, I wrote this story during Season 2, so "Luka" doesn't have his Miraculous in here.

The next morning, Adrien was still asleep. Nino and Wayzz were out of the room for some reason. Kim immediately flew in through the window.

"Adrien! Plagg! Come on, wake up! I heard the news!" Kim shouted, but the merboy did not stir.

Kim flew on the bed, landed, and immediately squawked in Adrien's face, waking the poor boy up and causing him to fall out of his bed.

Nathalie and Plagg screamed in surprise, and everyone started to get up and regain their bearings.

"What's going on, Kim?" Plagg asked, still a bit groggy and shaking his head.

"What do you mean, "What's going on?" Don't play dumb! Everyone in town is going crazy over it! The two of you are going to be so happy together as man and wife!" Kim declared.

Adrien gave Kim a confused expression, and Nathalie and Plagg glanced at one another, not sure what Kim was going on about.

"Care to explain?" Nathalie murmured, still tired.

"The princess is getting married this afternoon!" Kim said, flying around the room. "You guys did it!"

Adrien let the news sink in for a second, and then he smiled before standing up. Marinette wanted to marry him? _That afternoon?_ This was great! Not only would his wedding kiss be the one to make him human for the long-term, but he and Marinette would be together for the rest of their lives! He would be helping the townsfolk as Cat Noir, he would be friends with Nino and Alya forever, his father would be unable to do anything should he learn what happened, and he would be _happy_.

"This is awesome, Adrien!" Plagg said, delighted.

"I'll see you guys at the ceremony! I don't want to miss it!" Kim said, flying out the window.

Adrien immediately changed clothes. With Plagg on his shoulder and Nathalie in his pocket, he immediately ran out of his room, and made to run down the main staircase to see his princess. Thoughts of joy were littering his mind, but he did not care because he wanted to see Marinette ASAP.

However, the boy ran into Tikki, who had a very sad and worried look on her face. Adrien stopped in his tracks when he noticed this.

"Sugarcube, what's going on?" Plagg asked, floating closer to Tikki. "Why do you look so sad? Especially today?"

"Well... I don't think you should go down there. There's something wrong." Tikki said, glancing over to the staircase.

"Wrong? What do you mean?" Plagg asked, confused, and not liking where this was going.

"You might want to see for yourself." Tikki said, as she was still hiding behind one of the pillars on top of the stairs.

Looking down, Adrien's eyes widened in shock. Marinette was standing before her parents, Nino, and Alya, but she was holding the arm of another boy. He looked to be about a year or two older than them, and he had black hair with blue tips, green eyes, black stud earrings, black fingernails, was wearing a blue jacket with a white shirt underneath, black ripped jeans, high-top sneakers, and he had a guitar on his back.

"Girl, you can't be serious," Alya said, incredulous. "You were always the one who was skeptical about someone rescuing you."

"That was _before_ he came forward. Has anyone seen Tikki? I need to thank her for setting me straight." Marinette said, albeit her tone was monotone and her face was stiff. Her pupils were purple and she did not seem to be herself.

Adrien could only stare. From what he could gather, this new boy seemed to have "stepped forward" as the person who saved Marinette's life. But Adrien knew that _he_ was the one who came to her rescue! Nino and Alya knew it, too, so maybe they could get her to realize it.

"Dudette, this _can't_ be the guy who saved you!" Nino declared, pointing an accusing finger at the newcomer.

"And what basis do you have to say that, Nino?" Marinette inquired.

Nino was about to come out and say that it was Adrien who saved her, but that would mean offloading a lot of other information that would probably jinx the kiss. Luckily, Alya caught on to this and decided to cover for him.

"Girl, how do you know this guy isn't a phony?" Alya asked aloud. "Maybe he's just trying to get to the throne via you!"

"Don't be preposterous, Alya," Marinette began. Everyone's eyes widened. "A man who serenades the woman he loves with his guitar _can't_ have such insidious motives."

Nino and Alya's jaws dropped at Marinette's statement and her refined vocabulary. Her parents looked a little pensive and confused.

"Marinette, dear, Alya has a point," Sabine said, speaking her mind. "There's plenty of evidence to point out that this boy isn't your savior."

"Exactly," Tom agreed, crossing his arms and leveling a glare at the new boy. "We can't get behind this entire marriage idea until we have some proof here."

"Does it matter? The point is that I love him and want to be his wife. Is that so wrong?" Marinette stated, clearly set on this choice.

"Well, _no_ , but I think you're forgetting about someone!" Nino stated. He noticed Adrien was hiding nearby and decided to play his part of the merboy's wingman. "Adrien! What about all that time with Adrien?! You two had chemistry going on, dude!"

Marinette's eyes went back to normal for a second and then she held onto her head, almost disoriented.

"Adrien... I..." Marinette moaned, in pain.

However, the boy on her arm immediately hugged her by the shoulder and rubbed his brooch between his thumb and index finger. It flashed and Marinette was once again stiff.

"Adrien _who?_ " Marinette asked. "The only man I love is Luka."

Hearing all of this coming out of Marinette's mouth was like a knife to Adrien's heart. He staggered away from the pillar and he was on the verge of tears.

 _'No... NO! This can't be!'_ Adrien thought, devastated.

Marinette wanted to marry someone else and not him?! What happened?! What about everything they had been through the previous day, _including_ the near-kiss?! Did none of that mean anything to her?! Was it _that_ insignificant?!

"See what I mean?" Tikki said. "This guy just showed up on the beach last night and all of a sudden Marinette's under some sort of magic. I tried everything to stop it, but whatever's got Marinette in this person's grip is really strong. Every time someone mentions Adrien, she seems to regain her senses a little bit, but then he rubs that brooch and she's back under his control."

Plagg started to understand that the situation was off for some reason. And he was beginning to get an idea why...

Adrien was not listening, still horrified at the sight before him.

"How can you say that, Marinette?!" Tom bellowed. "And about a guest, no less!"

"Inconsequential," Marinette stated firmly. "I want to marry Luka and that's final. Have the wedding ship ready before dusk."

Everyone gawked. Adrien, shocked, started to silently cry. Covering his eyes and absolutely unable to watch anymore, he ran down the hall, away from the scene. He was utterly crushed at the news, heartbroken that his princess wanted to marry another.

"Adrien, wait!" Plagg shouted after his holder before flying after him, but Tikki pulled him aside to stop him.

"Luka" looked up and watched Adrien leave the scene. His mouth turned up into a wicked smirk while he was holding the glowing brooch.

Everyone in the lobby was still protesting against the union, but they soon broke away when Marinette kissed Luka on the cheek and made it clear what she wanted.

As Nino and Alya were walking up the stairs, they were discussing this new turn of events.

"Something is wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, _WRONG!_ " Alya complained, stomping up the stairs. "We all know that it was Adrien who saved Marinette! He's the one who saved her life, gave up his voice so he could be with her, but now all of a sudden this Luka guy shows up and claims _he_ rescued Marinette?! I'm smelling a bilge rat!"

"I'm with you on this, dude. Something's not right and in the worst way." Nino said.

"I'm the kwami of illusions, and I can tell that this guy is a master of deceit. Worse still, he doesn't have a Miraculous." Trixx said.

"Trixx is right," Wayzz said. "There's no Miraculous aura coming from him. In fact, the aura I'm sensing is pure evil."

"Is this true?" Plagg asked.

Everyone murmured and nodded in agreement.

Plagg was mulling over the information that they had established, and the gears were turning in his head.

"If what's going on is what I _think_ is going on, then it looks like we've got some extra work to do," Plagg said. "Trixx, Wayzz, we're going to need to split up. Tikki and I will find Adrien and try to set things right. Meanwhile, you two need to try to help Alya and Nino get Marinette back to her senses."

 _"Right!"_ Everyone shouted before separating to get Marinette and Adrien together.

* * *

Within a few hours, the boat for the wedding was ready. Alya, Nino, the kwamis, and Marinette's parents had boarded. Nino looked back and saw that Adrien was hiding nearby, a heartbroken and sad look on his face.

Nino sadly looked back at the merboy before turning away. He was asked to lead the orchestra at the wedding and Alya was the maid of honor. They only took up the roles to expose "Luka" for the fraud he was.

As the boat started to leave the docks, Adrien came out from hiding and sadly watched as the boat floated away. He slunk to his knees and began silently crying. Tears were streaming down his face and falling on the surface of the water below.

 _'After everything... No kiss, no happy ending, NOTHING! I should've made a counteroffer to that damned sea warlock instead of trading my voice away! What was I thinking?! I'm so stupid! And now Marinette's going to get married to someone else!'_ Adrien thought, as he buried his face in his folded arms and kept sobbing.

Nathalie could only watch, unable to console him.

"Adrien!" Plagg shouted, as he and Tikki found him. "Don't worry, Adrien! We know something's off about this! We'll set things right!"

Adrien did not listen. He merely gave Plagg a teary look that said, "How can you say that?!"

"I don't think you're helping, Plagg." Tikki solemnly said.

Adrien kept crying, unable to think clearly. What was he going to do _now?_ Just accept that he would be Hawkmoth's slave for eternity while Marinette got married?

In spite of the kwamis' reassurance that everything would turn out okay, Adrien was still sad and devastated. Luckily, the group's suspicions about the whole situation were about to be confirmed.

Kim was flying near the boat, excited for the wedding. However, seeing all the sad or suspicious looks on the humans' faces made him a little confused. What was going on?

 _"What a handsome, dashing groom I'll make. Mon dieu, I'll look divine..."_ A voice sang... _Adrien's_ voice.

Recognizing it and realizing that it was coming from the porthole on the boat, Kim landed outside the window and looked inside. "Luka" was in front of a mirror, singing, changing into a black tux with a red rose boutonnière, and getting ready for the wedding. He had a smirk on his face and was chuckling evilly.

 _"Things are working out according to my ultimate design."_ He sang, as he took out a sewing pin, fiddled with it a bit, and then he flung it into the mirror's wooden part, knocking it back a bit.

Seeing this, Kim swallowed a lump in his throat and started to shudder in fear.

 _"Soon I'll have that little merboy and the ocean will be mine!"_ The boy sang once more, standing up on the vanity desk and crushed a few bottles under his black dress shoe.

He pulled the mirror closer to him... Only to reveal his reflection to be that of _Hawkmoth_ instead. He was still laughing maniacally and with anticipation of the events to come.

Once he stopped his song, a deep chuckle came from Hawkmoth's throat and said, "Once night falls, that prince and his Miraculous will be mine... Then Gabriel's throne will be in my clutches, as well."

However, his brooch was sparkling again. With a roll of his eyes, he grabbed it once more, rubbed it, and then it turned solid black.

"Ugh, that princess is _so_ stubborn," Hawkmoth complained. "Had a hard time putting her under this spell to begin with, but now it's difficult just to _keep_ her under control... Though I digress..."

He looked back to the mirror, started adjusting his bowtie, and said, "At least this will be over before it begins."

"Holy carp, the _sea warlock!_ Oh, no, this is... I gotta! Adrien! ADRIEN!" Kim shouted, as he immediately flew to find the merboy and his friends.

Adrien was still sulking, but he was temporarily brought out of his misery when Kim landed on the pier and was breathing heavily.

 _"ADRIEN, WE'VE GOT TROUBLE!"_ Kim shouted, flapping his wings rapidly, as if something scared him to death.

"Kim? What's wrong?" Plagg asked the seagull.

"Um, who's this?" Tikki asked, not recognizing Kim.

"This is Kim, he's one of our friends," Plagg said, before turning to the gull. "Anyway, what's the matter? You're not usually frazzled like this."

"Flying... Saw the watch, no, warlock... Non-matching reflection... Not singing with his own set of vocals... Planning on taking the Miraculous..." Kim began, rambling on.

He was absolutely frantic, which was unlike the seagull. He was usually laid back and in a good mood. Seeing this, Adrien knew something major must be happening. So the blonde tried his best to pay as close attention as he could.

He, Plagg and Tikki tried to make sense of Kim's stammering while Nathalie just looked at the seagull, impatient and waiting for him to get to the point.

 _"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?!"_ Kim shouted, clearly spooked and dead serious. He was flapping his wings in a frenzy. _"THE PRINCESS! IS MARRYING! THE SEA WARLOCK! IN DISGUISE!"_

Adrien's eyes widened in shock. Hawkmoth was messing around and interfering with him?! That would also explain why the boat flipped the night before. This meant... This meant... This meant that Marinette truly loved him! What a relief! He had done it! Adrien had won her over! The only thing was that she had yet to kiss him and now the mute merboy was cutting it close on his deadline. This was the part that made him nervous.

"Are you certain?" Nathalie asked, still in disbelief and skeptical of Kim's credibility.

"Would I _really_ be telling you something like this at a _time_ like this if I wasn't?!" Kim shouted.

 _"I knew it!_ I _knew_ that it was Hawkmoth from what you said, Tikki!" Plagg declared, angry.

"Wait, Hawkmoth? The same sea warlock that turned Adrien into a human?" Tikki inquired for clarification.

"That's the one. I should've expected that sketchy squid to play dirty!" Plagg grumbled.

"Well, what do we do?!" Tikki asked, scared. "We're running out of time!"

Adrien stood up and looked on. The sun was about to hit the horizon of the water, and the boat was pretty far out to sea. At this rate, he would be too late for his kiss and he would change back.

 _'Before dusk turns to dark on the third day.'_ Hawkmoth's voice echoed in Adrien's mind.

Adrien looked around and saw a few things he could use. There was one of those new-fangled pedal boats nearby, and he looked closely enough to see that the propeller was small. He thought if he added his baton to it, it would make the boat go faster.

He jumped into the boat and gestured for Plagg follow him.

"Good thinking, Adrien! We'll use that boat to get to the ship!" Plagg said, zipping over to his holder.

 _"Plagg, Claws Out!"_ Adrien silently shouted, transforming into Cat Noir. Taking some ropes and his baton, he attached it to the propeller and started peddling as fast as his feet could go. The boat sped off.

"I'll go tell Gabriel what's going on! The Sea King has to know what's been happening, all the way from the beginning!" Nathalie said, making ready to jump into the water.

"What about us?" Tikki asked the crab.

"You two get to Marinette and try to free her from that spell, and stall that wedding _at all costs_!" Nathalie shouted, as she dove into the sea to make her way back to Atlantica.

Tikki mounted onto Kim, and then the pair started flying near the lagoon. Kim was squawking, calling for help, and alerting all of the marine and land life about the situation.

Seals sitting on rocks, starfish in tide pools, flamingos standing in the water, and many other animals heard the danger call from Kim, and then Kim shouted out, _"WE'VE GOT AN EMERGENCY! HURRY UP AND LET'S GET GOING!"_

Tikki was also worried about Marinette and was hopeful that they would make it in time to stop Hawkmoth and get Marinette and Adrien to kiss. As she and Kim flew over to the ship, their impromptu army was following them in hot pursuit, aware of the gravity of the situation.

Back on the boat, Marinette was walking down the aisle all alone while Hawkmoth was at the altar. She was wearing her own handmade wedding dress that she had in reserve. Her parents were still skeptical of this whole wedding, so neither one of them were willing to walk her down the aisle and give her away to "Luka."

Nino was watching closely while conducting the orchestra, meanwhile Alya was standing at the altar, eying the groom with disdain. Wayzz and Trixx were also keeping an eye on "Luka," since they had plenty of reason to be doubtful of him. Hawkmoth was looking out to the horizon, seeing that the sun was starting to set. He smirked.

Marinette made her way to the altar and joined the disguised warlock, her face still stiff.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite Princess Marinette and this young man in holy matrimony," The priest began, as he read from the book to start the ceremony. "If anyone can show just reason why these two should not be joined, speak now or forever hold your peace."

 _"WE OBJECT!"_ Six voices shouted - Alya, Nino, Trixx, Wayzz, and Marinette's parents.

Meanwhile, Cat Noir was peddling faster and faster, not caring that he was getting exhausted. The boat was in sight, but the sun was setting, too. He had to hurry up lest he be too late.

Luckily, his friends were buying time for him by making sure their opinions were heard by the preacher and the crowd.

"Your Majesties, Monsieur Lahiffe, Mademoiselle Césaire, Wayzz, and Trixx," The preacher said, acknowledging that they had reasons to put a stop to this. "Have you any objections? As the parents and the best friends of the bride, your opinions hold a great amount of weight."

"This guy is a fraud! He's not the one who saved Marinette from the hurricane." Alya shouted, pointing a finger at the groom.

"Our kwamis have it on the _best_ of authority that the man in question who rescued her is a _Miraculous owner,_ dude!" Nino spoke up, crossing his arms.

"That's right! And we are _not_ sensing a Miraculous aura off him!" Wayzz agreed. "Ergo, he can't be the one who saved the princess."

"We can't allow this to happen, either," Tom said, as he and Sabine stood up. "This young man has no proof that he was the one who saved our daughter."

"I couldn't agree more," Sabine assured. "If the kwamis are sensing something off with "Luka," and he has nothing to support his allegations of being Marinette's rescuer, then we won't let her marry him."

"See? No evidence to reinforce his statements and no Miraculous. All of that points to _one thing:_ he's a _LIAR_ , and Marinette _detests_ liars above all else! So why would she marry one unless she's not doing this of her own free will?!" Alya voiced.

Everyone in the crowd realized that Alya had a point. They were all noticing the red flags that were being raised.

"I... Hate liars..." Marinette muttered, as her pupils started flashing from purple to black and back again.

"Not to mention that Marinette isn't acting like herself, either!" Alya stated, stomping her foot in anger.

Kim was soon close enough to the boat that Tikki jumped off before flying closer to Marinette at break-neck speed.

"I have a good reason to keep this from happening as well!" Tikki declared, coming closer to her holder. "I'm sensing an evil aura off "Luka" _and_ I know who saved Marinette! This isn't him!"

Marinette's eyes flashed again, and Hawkmoth grew upset. He grunted in anger and reached for the brooch, muttering, "Headstrong little wench..."

"I heard that!" Alya shouted, as she stomped over to the groom. "You claim to love Marinette, and yet you insult her? Even _more_ suspicious!"

"Yeah!" Nino agreed.

The crowd started murmuring, as the statements of the group of protestors were making them think, much to the chagrin of the masquerading warlock.

Thinking fast and trying to make sure the ceremony kept going, Hawkmoth scoffed again before saying, "Do you honestly think your claims hold any water?"

"Of course! I'm her best friend! I have automatic credibility here!" Alya stated, matter-of-factly.

"Clearly you need to learn your place, little hagfish." Luka stated, his arms crossed and smirking.

Everyone gasped in shock. Alya was livid and trembling in rage, and Nino was **_furious_**.

"That's it!" Tom said, angry.

Sabine was upset, too, and she claimed, "Anyone who insults Alya deserves jail time, _not_ Marinette's hand in marriage!"

Nino ran over to his fiancé, who was breathing heavily in anger, and said, "Baby doll! Don't listen to him! Marinette can't marry a guy who puts you down like that!"

Just then, chaos was about to ensue, albeit one could argue that it was _desired_ chaos. Led by Kim, birds started dive-bombing in like airplanes and they flew in between Luka's legs at high speeds. He shouted in fright.

A few seals came on board, much to the humans' shock and surprise. One of them used his snout to pick Hawkmoth up and then they started tossing him around like a ball. He landed on the deck on his back, and tried his best to get up, only for Trixx to bite him in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain. Everyone around the deck, minus the parents of the bride and her friends, started running around, frightened, screaming and shouting. Even the preacher took cover, halting the ceremony altogether.

"How about a little payback, Nino?" Alya said, her teeth gritted.

"You read my mind, Alya!" Nino said, angry. "No one offends my fiancé and gets away with it! _Wayzz, shell on!"_

 _"Trixx, let's pounce!"_ Alya declared.

After transforming, the pair closed in on the groom, who was still staggering to get up. Rena Rouge took out her flute to try and pound the sea warlock while Carapace was cracking his knuckles in anger.

Carapace tackled Hawkmoth and they were putting pressure on each other's hands.

"How dare you!" Hawkmoth shouted.

" _I_ should be saying that! You're nothing but a faker! You don't deserve to marry Marinette!" Carapace shot back. Hawkmoth tried to overwhelm Carapace, and soon got the turtle hero into a headlock.

"Carapace!" Rena Rouge shouted as she was about to punch Hawkmoth on her fiancé's behalf, but he stopped the headlock, grabbed him by his arm, and threw Carapace into Rena, knocking them down on the ground.

Cat Noir had made it to the boat and he untied his baton. He extended it so he could climb up onto the deck and kiss Marinette before he was too late.

Just as Hawkmoth stood up and dusted his hands off, a few dolphins sprang up and squirted water into his face, causing him to stagger back.

Rena Rouge stood up and used this as a chance to deal some damage. She took Hawkmoth by the sleeve of his tux jacket and threw him over her shoulder and into the cake.

Standing up and getting angry, a cake and frosting-covered sea warlock was about to throw a punch back onto Rena Rouge. But Carapace used his hand shield to block him. Hawkmoth screamed in pain when he hit the shield. He staggered back.

Marinette had not moved from her spot at all, as if she was not registering anything that was happening. Tikki flew in front of her face and tried to get her to get out from Hawkmoth's control.

"Marinette, please! Snap out of this!" Tikki pleaded to Marinette. The hold the magic had on the princess was weakening. "Keep thinking about Adrien!"

"Adrien..." Marinette murmured.

Her pupils kept fading from purple to black, and this time the warlock was too distracted to do anything to stop it.

"That's right! Adrien! _Adrien!_ " Tikki repeated, feeling encouraged by this and watching Marinette's eyes slowly but surely go back to normal. "Try to remember everything the two of you did yesterday! The piano playing! The dancing! The rose! _Everything!_ "

As he and Rena Rouge were tousling, the vixen noticed that the brooch Hawkmoth was wearing was changing colors. Smirking, she reached for the accessory.

"Oh, no you don't!" Hawkmoth shouted, shoving Rena to the floor of the deck.

"Carapace, whatever magic this creep is using on Marinette is in the brooch he's wearing!" Rena shouted over to her future husband.

"Got it!" Carapace hollered back.

Just then, Kim flew in and loudly squawked into Hawkmoth's face as a distraction.

"Why you!" Luka shouted, as he started choking the seagull.

Using his baton, Cat Noir brought himself up onto the railing of the ship and onto the boat. He put the baton back on his back and tried to scan the scene for the princess. He was amused when watching all the commotion, with all the sea animals attacking the groom, the disguised sea warlock strangling Kim, Rena Rouge and Carapace fighting with Hawkmoth at the same time, and all of the humans running around in fright and confusion. He would have laughed if the situation at hand were not so urgent.

Carapace had tackled Hawkmoth and they were now rumbling with each other. The disguised warlock was still choking Kim, so his attention was divided between the turtle hero on his back and the sea bird in his hands.

Carapace took advantage of the villain's distraction, grabbed the brooch from behind, yanked it off, and playfully said, "Yoink!"

Cat Noir saw Carapace had gotten his hands on the brooch, and the two made eye contact. Carapace smirked when he saw his friend had made it just in time.

"Cat Noir, catch!" Carapace shouted, as he threw the brooch over to the blonde.

Hawkmoth tried to grab for it, but Carapace pushed him down on the deck and since he had released Kim, the seagull started pecking on the warlock's head a few times before flying off to safety.

 _"Cataclysm!"_ Cat Noir silently shouted, activating his power. He caught the brooch in his right hand, then threw it onto the ground in front of him. It disintegrated, releasing his voice. _"Claws in."_

Cat Noir changed back, meanwhile his voice echoed as it left the broken brooch. The butterfly shape appeared in front of Marinette's face again for a second, and her pupils were back to normal. Marinette shook her head, trying to fight off a headache. She turned around and watched alongside everyone else, including an angry and disheveled Hawkmoth.

The audience members were awestruck as Adrien's voice rose up, got louder and stronger, and came closer to him. In a few swirls, it inserted itself back into his Adam's apple.

His voice restored, he loudly and proudly sang out, _"Ma Princesse~!"_

Plagg said, "Now _that's_ more like it! Good to hear your voice again, Adrien!"

Adrien handed Plagg some camembert to eat, also happy that he was able to speak again. It felt _so_ much better.

Marinette smiled and weakly said, "A-Adrien?"

"Marinette!" Adrien spoke back, grinning like the cat that got the cream, his eyes alight with joy and affection.

The others had called off their transformations and the kwamis were now circling and flying around him happily, laughing with delight. He chuckled along with them.

"You... You can talk!" Marinette said, as she ran over to Adrien with a big smile and her heart aflutter with love. She and Adrien embraced each other, their eyes only focused on one another. "I recognize your voice from the dream I had... Because I _wasn't_ dreaming! Tikki was right! Someone _did_ save me from drowning in that storm, and it was _you!_ "

"Yes! It was me!" Adrien said, happy he could finally tell Marinette the truth.

"Marinette! Stay away from him!" Hawkmoth shouted, but he realized his voice was back to normal, so he slapped his hand over his mouth.

"This whole time you've been in front of me!" Marinette said while Adrien stroked her hair with his hand. They were both about to start crying tears of joy.

"My lady, you can't even begin to _guess_ how much I wanted to say something." Adrien said, as he gently took her chin into his fingers. Marinette wrapped her arms around his neck and the two of them started to lean in for a kiss.

With the exception of Plagg, the kwamis were watching with wide, sparkling eyes, utterly excited. Adrien and Marinette were finally going to kiss!

But just then, the sun had fully set and it grew dark. Adrien stopped short, shouted in agony, and he pushed Marinette away. She stumbled back a few steps.

"No..." Adrien moaned, as he hugged his torso in pain.

Hawkmoth started laughing in triumph and mania as he realized that Adrien missed his deadline.

The princess asked, "Adrien, why...?"

"Get back!" Adrien shouted. He was groaning in pain as he felt his legs begin to squeeze back into one.

He fell on the deck and his pants slid off, revealing his fins. Everyone aside from Nino, Alya, and the kwamis looked at Adrien in shock, completely floored that he was really a merboy.

Everyone was already talking and gossiping over the turn of events. Adrien could hear things like, "A... A merboy?!" "Merpeople exist?!" "If that was HIS voice, then who's the groom?"

Adrien and Marinette were tuning out all of the background chatter. The princess could only stare, and she said, "What on earth...?"

"Shell! I'm too late!" Adrien shouted, pounding his fist on the deck, and he hung his head in shame.

"Indeed you are! You're too late!" "Luka" laughed, and in a bunch of black and purple bubbles, he shed his disguise and revealed his true self, Hawkmoth, to everyone.

He started slithering over to Adrien at break-neck speed, meanwhile everyone was screaming in horror and running away. As the warlock closed in, Marinette spread her arms out and blocked the squid from Adrien.

She shouted, "Leave him alone!"

He merely used one of his tentacles to shove Marinette aside.

"Ah!" Marinette shouted, as she landed on her stomach on the deck.

"Marinette!" Adrien shouted, while Tikki flew over to her holder.

Adrien tried to dive off the boat and into the water to escape, but Hawkmoth snagged him by the arm, and Plagg was ensnared by another tentacle.

"Bye-bye, _Princess._ " Hawkmoth sneered, as he dove into the water with his two captives.

"Adrien!" Marinette shouted, as she stood up and ran to the railing, only to watch the warlock and her merboy disappear beneath the surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh-oh! It looks like Hawkmoth might win this! Or will he...? I'm really looking forward to the next chapter, and you'll see why soon. I initially was going to have Cat Noir use Cataclysm on the brooch, and then proudly sing out "Claws in" after his voice was restored. But then I realized that the bell on his suit would block his Adam's apple! Silly me.
> 
> Oh, and for those of you who are curious to know, a counteroffer is when you reject an offer by trying to change the terms.


	9. Underwater Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien's now stuck in Hawk Moth's clutches and his true goal comes to life: overthrowing Gabriel for the throne of Atlantica. 
> 
> But Marinette's not gonna stand on the boat and watch things happen! Adrien needs help, and she's going to jump in head-first! Question is, how?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the big battle and finale for the story commences! There's going to be a lot of action in this one.

"Poor little prince." Hawk Mmoth mocked, as he kept swimming down under the water. he was chuckling in triumph, and sneering at Adrien.

"Get your suction cups and hands off me, you creep!" Adrien demanded. He was slapping his fin and pounding his fist against Hawk Moth, trying his best at commanding release. Alas, it was to no avail. The sea warlock's grip was just too tight.

"In your dreams. Now your ring is mine!" Hawk Moth shouted, as he used another tentacle to slip the ring off Adrien's finger, and then slipped it onto one of his own on his right hand.

 _"NO!"_ Adrien hollered, his eyes widened. Plagg was clearly frightened, too.

"And besides, your Miraculous is only _part_ of what I want. I've got a much bigger..." Hawk Mothbegan, but just then...

 _"STOP RIGHT THERE, HAWKMOTH!"_ Gabriel bellowed, pointing his trident at the warlock. Nathalie was standing next to the king, determined and confident that Gabriel could set everything right.

As happy as Adrien was to see his father had come to help him, he was also very embarrassed. The last thing he wanted was for Gabriel to see him like this, especially since it played right into Hawk Moth's tentacles.

"Well, well, well. King Gabriel," Hawk Moth cordially said. "How is everything in Atlantica?"

 _"Let him go!"_ Gabriel demanded, his voice deep with rage as he pointed his trident towards Hawk Moth's throat.

"No can do, Gabriel! He belongs to me now!" Hawk Moth stated as he bound Adrien with his tentacles. "Your son and I made a _written agreement_."

With a wave of his hand, Hawk Moth made the signed document appear in a blast of bubbles.

"If your son could kiss his _beloved princess_ before the sun set tonight, he would have remained a human forever." Hawk Moth taunted, clearly mocking Marinette in his tone.

 _"You cheater!"_ Plagg shouted. "Adrien would've kissed Marinette last night if not for _your_ interference!"

"Yeah, the contract never said you were allowed to meddle, you son of a-!" Adrien agreed, but then Hawk Moth used another tentacle to shut the prince up.

"The contract never said that I _wasn't_ allowed to meddle, either. You were a fool to trust me so easily." Hawk Moth said, clearly ridiculing Adrien again.

At that comment, Adrien hung his head in shame, not wanting to face his father in the eyes. Hawk Moth was right, so what was the point in apologizing? This whole thing was his fault.

Gabriel fired a blast of lightning at the contract, but the energy only bounced off the scroll, ricochetted around the area, and then disappeared.

"What?!" Gabriel said, surprised.

"HAH! This contract is legally binding and completely indestructible, even for the king of the seas!" Hawk Moth taunted. "Although, I was always a man with an eye for a deal."

With a snap of his fingers, the contract turned into a magic sea breeze and then started to swirl around Adrien in a cyclone.

Adrien shouted in fright, as Hawk Moth once again began to laugh. Plagg, still stuck in Hawkmoth's tentacle, looked on in horror.

"The son of the great Sea King is quite the collector's item," Hawk Moth said, as the magic started to slowly turn Adrien into a butterfly fish. Gabriel swam forward to save him, but Hawkmoth stopped the process with his hand. " _BUT_ , I _am_ willing to make a trade... For someone _much more_ powerful."

Gabriel only stayed in place as Hawk Moth fingered his crown with one of his tentacles. He knew what the warlock wanted...

Back up top on the boat, Marinette was worried about Adrien. She changed out of her wedding dress, and then she had been informed of everything. Sure, she was upset with her friends and her kwami for withholding that information, but she understood their reasons. So, she was not angry at them for very long.

"I have to do something! Adrien's in trouble! I can't just let him become prey to Hawk Moth!" Marinette said, panicked and pacing around.

"But you can't just transform and dive in either, Marinette! Your powers can't help you in the water! You wouldn't be able to breathe!" Alya said, trying to be reasonable.

"Damn it, you're right," Marinette said, before scratching her head in a frenzied panic. "UGH, if only there was a way to give my Miraculous water powers!"

"Actually, there is." Nino said, matter-of-factly.

 _"Huh?!"_ Everyone minus the kwamis said. They were surprised that the Ladybug Miraculous even _had_ a water mode.

"And _why_ you didn't tell me this earlier, Nino?!" Marinette demanded of her guardian-in-training.

"Because I'm still learning the recipes myself. And we never needed these power-ups up until now." Nino said with a shrug.

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Every minute we spend up here is another minute of Adrien suffering from who-knows-what down there!" Marinette said, ready to save her beloved.

"Okay, but Tikki and the others kwamis need to stay out out of earshot," Nino said, turning to Wayzz and eying him knowingly. "They musn't hear this. They can _never_ know the formulas for power modification. If they were kidnapped by a villain, like Plagg probably is by Hawk Moth as we speak... Oh boy..."

Trixx and the other kwamis immediately covered their ears and went into hiding.

Within a few minutes, Nino had gathered up a few random supplies. He had a small pot with feet, a pestle, and a spoon. He also had some other unorthodox items.

"Okay, a branch from the dragon king's garden: that is, seaweed. Secret kept in a shell: an oyster's pearl, and finally, a _literal_ tear of joy..." Nino said, as he put the ingredients in the bowl.

He took some wet seaweed and placed it in the bowl first, followed by a pearl. He crushed the pearl with the pestle and ground it up with the seaweed. He then used a pipette to put a tear of joy into the pot. Nino used the pestle to grind all of the items together into a green brew.

There was a small explosion and a vortex of light coming from inside. Once it dissipated, a few flares were coming from the pot. Nino nodded, saying, "It's ready."

He took a spoonful of the liquid and shouted, "Tikki!"

Tikki immediately came out from hiding, and approached the spoon. She took a sip, and then Marinette spoke up.

 _"Tikki, power up!"_ Marinette declared.

Tikki's spots immediately started to glow, and in a flash of light, her hands gained purple-pink fins, and her fin turned into one large pink fin, too.

"Aqua Tikki!" Tikki declared.

 _"Aqua Tikki, Spots On!"_ Marinette shouted, activating her Miraculous.

Within seconds, Marinette's body gained its usual red and black-spotted bodysuit and mask, but it had fish scales instead, and her collar was purple and looked like a fish's fin. Her pigtails grew, got purple-pink tips, her hair ties became purple-pink and grew longer. Her feet gained similar swim fins, and she had similar dorsal fins on her upper arms. Finally, she grew a belt with the same fin pattern, with her Miraculous's symbol in the center.

"Wow... This is amazing!" Ladybug said, as she examined herself.

"Now you're all set and ready to fight underwater, girl! Hey, can Trixx get some of that stuff, too?" Alya asked, ever eager to join in.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Nino disagreed, shaking his head. "We don't know what the extent of Hawkmoth's capabilities are."

"And this is personal. I'm _so_ grossed out that I was close to getting hitched to that monster. And besides, Adrien didn't leave me for dead when he saved me in the storm. He helped me, so I'm going to return the favor." Ladybug declared.

Alya, while disappointed she could not assist, still smiled and nodded in understanding of her best friend's reasons.

"Ladybug," Sabine said, as she and Tom came forward. "I know you're a Miraculous holder and you can handle yourself, but... Please, be careful down there."

"Thanks, mom." Ladybug said, as she hugged her parents.

"Be safe." Tom murmured.

"I will." Ladybug assured, before leaving her parents on the deck. She ran to the railing of the boat, and stood on top of it before turning to her friends.

"Nino, Alya, transform and get the ship back to port, and keep everyone safe. I've got a feeling that the waters are going to get _pretty_ rough. Meanwhile, I've got a few bones to pick with that sea warlock!" Ladybug declared before diving head-first into the water.

* * *

Back underwater, Hawk Moth was stating the terms of the deal: take Adrien's place and hand over the crown, and Adrien will be set free.

"So, do we have a deal?" Hawk Moth asked, sneering. He held out the contract to Gabriel.

The magic was slowly but surely turning Adrien into an akuma.

Seeing his son in his current state, Gabriel realized that this all tied back to him. Adrien was right about everything. If Gabriel had kept an open mind about humans like his son said, and did not destroy his collection so insensitively, the current situation would not be happening right now. Gabriel was also sure that Adrien could not trust him as his father anymore, hence why he ran away. For his son to go this far because he was unhappy, all because he fell in love, the king knew he had to do something to show Adrien he was sorry. After all, if it were Emilie...

Holding out his trident, Gabriel used it to cross out Adrien's signature with one line and replace it with his own.

"Done!" Hawk Moth declared, a manic smile on his face.

The cyclone left Adrien, returning him to normal and immediately attacked Gabriel. As Gabriel shrunk down, Adrien could only watch in horror. Hawk Moth was laughing in triumph.

Once the magic faded, Gabriel was now a white butterfly fish, and his trident and crown were on the sea floor. Nathalie, in shock, sadly said, "Your Majesty..."

"Father...?!" Adrien said, looking his father in shock.

"Finally... It's _mine!_ " Hawk Moth declared. He put the crown on his head and picked up the trident. As he laughed in maniacal victory, the trident began glowing.

Adrien had begun to understand what his actions had caused. Because he gave in to Hawk Moth, not only did he lose Plagg and his Miraculous, but his father had been turned into an akuma. Realizing he had been duped, Adrien lost his temper.

 _"YOU... YOU SEA DEMON!"_ Adrien shouted, swimming to tackle Hawk Moth.

"Don't you even _think_ of messing with me, you brat!" Hawk Moth shouted, as he threw Adrien against a rock and held the trident at him, ready to shoot. "You may be out of the contract, but I can still turn you into an aku..."

"Over my dead body!" A voice shouted as a yo-yo wrapped around Hawk Moth's arm and pulled the trident away from the merboy.

Looking up, Adrien and Hawk Moth were surprised to see Ladybug under the water and not having any trouble breathing.

"Ladybug?!" Adrien asked, shocked. He smiled at seeing her water form, impressed. "I didn't know you could..."

"Believe you me, I just learned about this myself," Ladybug said to Adrien, before glaring at Hawk Moth and retracting her yo-yo. "Listen, you, I don't take kindly to magic-wielding psychopaths using their powers to take advantage of people, especially when it comes to love!"

"Hah! You're as naïve as the prince!" Hawk Moth taunted, while holding Adrien down with his tentacles.

"Ladybug, watch out!" Adrien shouted, as he tried to escape.

"Chloé, Lila, after her!" Hawk Moth commanded.

Ladybug immediately started to swim up to the surface to escape the eels. However, they soon caught her and constricted her, pulling her back down. She could still breathe, luckily.

"Hey, get your scales off me!" Ladybug shouted, as she struggled to get free.

Nathalie swam up and after the eels, shouting, "Coming!"

She used her claws to pinch their tails hard and they both hissed in pain. Ladybug used this chance to escape and then she kicked Chloé and Lila away. She took her yo-yo out again and continued to fight them off.

Lila tried to attack Ladybug from behind, but she swam to the left, and Lila rammed into Chloé. Ladybug then used her yo-yo to tie the eels up and keep them from moving.

While she was distracted, Hawk Moth pointed the trident at Ladybug, intending to blasting her, and taunted Adrien, "Say "farewell" to your darling."

Adrien knew he had to do something, lest his princess get killed.

 _"I won't let you hurt her!"_ Adrien shouted in anger. He swam out of Hawk Moth's grip, and pulled him from behind as the warlock shot the blast.

Thanks to Adrien, Hawk Moth misfired and rather than hit Ladybug, the blast wound up hitting Chloé and Lila instead, killing them and turning them into tiny body parts.

"NO! My poor, little girlies!" Hawk Moth screamed, dropping he trident and reaching out to catch the remains of his eels.

He glared up in anger as he saw Ladybug and Adrien swim for the surface. He immediately whipped his head around to Plagg, and held up his right hand.

Plagg's eyes widened with fear as he knew what was coming. He swam off to try and escape, but Hawkmoth blocked his path with his tentacle.

 _"Plagg, claws out!"_ Hawkmoth darkly stated.

"AAAAH!" Plagg screamed as he was sucked into the ring.

Hawk Moth's entire body turned black, including his mask, and there were green accents everywhere. Leather cat ears were atop his head, and his eyes were that of a cat, but in his case, they were icy blue with extremely thin slits for pupils, as opposed to Adrien's green eyes. The claws were much sharper and longer, and the trident turned black with a green paw print on the holster.

He was huffing and puffing with anger and rage, and his ink started clouding around him. Nathalie swam under cover in a rock and Hawk Moth only grew bigger as the ink spread around.

Adrien and Ladybug soon made it to the surface and swam closer to one another.

"Ladybug, please! You have to get to safety!" Adrien pleaded, as he hugged Ladybug close to him.

"I'm not going anywhere!" Ladybug insisted, determined to help.

Just then, they were surrounded by sea bubbles and underneath them, the crown, now gargantuan, separated the two. They were now atop Hawk Moth's head, and he was laughing maniacally. The pair dove back into the water, and they were holding each other as they looked up and saw the humongous sea warlock standing above them.

The sky was getting stormy, and the waters were swelling and moving around violently. Hawk Moth basically created another hurricane that was just as strong, if not stronger, than the one Adrien saved Ladybug from.

 _"You fools!" Hawk Moth_ mocked, still holding the trident and sneering at the two of them.

"Watch out!" Ladybug shouted, as she saw that Hawkmoth was about to slam them with one of his tentacles. She and Adrien dove down under the water to escape.

 _"Now I rule the oceans!"_ Hawk Moth declared with gusto. He used the trident to conjure up lightning and a storm cloud, and the waters were getting even more turbulent and rogue. _"The currents and the waves bow to my commands!"_

The waves curled and the currents were so strong that Ladybug was getting pulled away from her merboy.

"Ladybug!" Adrien shouted, as the princess was thrown from the waters and she landed a good ways away. Thanks to her water powers, she was unfazed and unaffected by the splashing water and being tossed around by the currents and waves.

 _"The spoils of the sea are now subject to my power!"_ Hawkmoth shouted, as he started using the trident to create a extra-powerful whirlpool in the middle of the waters.

Meanwhile, Alya and Nino were back at the castle and were standing on the highest terrace. They were watching the scene with worry for their friends. The stormy skies and the swells of water were disconcerting to them.

"Ladybug... I hope she's okay." Alya worried aloud.

"I hope so, too," Nino said, as he hugged Alya by the shoulder. "But we have to have faith, dude. Ladybug's pulled through plenty of times in the past. I know she can do it again."

Alya, realizing her fiancé was right, hugged Nino back and pulled him into her arms. She was so scared for her best friend and hoped that she would get out of this in one piece.

The whirlpool's currents were so strong and fast that they pulled up several wrecked ships from below. Adrien, seeing the boat parts rising up from the surface, jumped onto a rock in the middle of the water and held on tight.

He watched as Ladybug was trying to outpace a boat, but the bow rose up and then crashed on the waters, sending Ladybug under.

"Ladybug!" Adrien shouted, concerned for his princess.

Ladybug dove down to avoid the boat. After getting out of the currents, Ladybug floated around a bit, trying to think of a plan to put an end to Hawkmoth's rampage. She then remembered she could steer the ship regardless of the state it was in. Ladybug took out her yo-yo and then she used it to latch onto the main mast. She yanked on it and she launched herself out of the water and onto the deck.

Adrien was hanging onto the rock, but his body was caught in current of the whirlpool's edge. Then, Hawk Moth fired a shot from the trident at him. Adrien jumped off the rock, but fell right into the center of the whirlpool.

He was sitting on solid rock while the cyclone of water surrounded him. He was trapped, and without Plagg, he was unable to do anything. Hawkmoth aimed the trident at Adrien again like he was hunting deer, and once again fired a shot of black lightning at the merboy. Adrien managed to dodge a few more shots aimed at him.

Ladybug was running to the steering wheel of the boat, but a wave of water hit her and knocked her to the deck. She stood up, undeterred.

 _"Aqua Lucky Charm!"_ Ladybug shouted, as she shot her yo-yo up in the air.

A sword landed in her hands and then she started looking around. She saw the busted bowsprit with its splintered wood, and then she looked at her yo-yo. An idea immediately popped into her head.

Ladybug ran to the bow of the boat, past the steering wheel. She used her yo-yo's string to tie the sword to the tip of the bowsprit, and kept holding on to her yo-yo. Ladybug ran back to the steering wheel and started to steer the boat towards Hawk Moth.

Hawkmoth did not notice Ladybug coming after him on the boat, since he was still planning on doing away with the merboy.

 _"So much for true love! Cataclysm!"_ Hawk Moth sneered, as he planned on stabbing Adrien with a blast of magic. He infused some of the energy from the Cataclysm into the trident and made to shoot.

Adrien's eyes widened and he braced himself for the impact.

Suddenly, Ladybug jerked the wheel to a hard left. Hawk Moth saw too late that the bowsprit and sword of the boat was approaching. Immediately, the sharp wood and metal pierced right through Hawk Moth's chest. He shouted in pain and lightning sparked all over him. The combined powers of the trident and the Cataclysm backfired and it blasted into Hawkmoth instead, slowly destroying him from the inside out. The warlock's eyes rolled in the back of his head, he fell forward, and his weight caused the boat to start sinking again.

As Hawk Moth quite literally went down with the ship, Ladybug jumped off the boat and into the water to escape.

Hawk Moth's body disappeared beneath the waves, only leaving bubbles of his blood, and a trail of purple smoke coming from it rising into the air.

Ladybug swam to shore and she climbed out of the water and on to the beach. She was fine, other than exhausted from the fight. She landed face-down on the sand, and murmured, "Spots... Off."

She released her transformation and changed back into Marinette. Tikki sat down next to her owner to watch over her and make sure she was okay.

Smoke from Hawk Moth's magic billowed up into the sky as the waters calmed down. As his remains sank down to the ocean floor near his lair, all of the akumas inside were magically changed back into the merpeople he had enslaved. They all were laughing with joy and smiling as they swam out of the lair, freed from the contracts they had signed with Hawkmoth.

The trident was soon floating tines-down to the bottom of the sea. It landed next to Gabriel, and then in a snap, he changed back to normal and he picked up his trident with a rare smile on his face.

* * *

Back on the surface, Adrien had once again perched himself on a rock. He was staring at Marinette, hoping she was alright after everything. Adrien was also thinking over the events and what the consequences of his actions were.

Plagg broke the surface of the water to find his owner. He was carrying the ring, since he materialized out of it after Hawkmoth went down.

"Adrien!" Plagg shouted, as he flew over to Adrien, and gave the ring back to him.

"Plagg. You okay?" Adrien asked, as he slipped the Miraculous back on to his right ring finger.

"I'm fine. What about you?" Plagg inquired, landing on Adrien's shoulder.

"I've been better..." Adrien said sadly. He kept watching Marinette, a depressed look on his face.

He then looked down at himself. Sure, it was good that he had his voice back _and_ he was free from Hawk Moth, that much he appreciated. But he was a merboy again. That was the only thing keeping him away from Marinette. Now that he was back to normal, he knew what was going to inevitably happen: he would have to leave her. Adrien was positive that after all of this, his father would beach him for life and restrict his freedom even more. He would never be able see Marinette again. This broke his heart more than when he thought she was going to marry someone else.

Adrien dove into the water to make his way to the shore to see his lady one last time. Within about thirty seconds, he laid down on the beach next to Marinette. She had turned over onto her back.

"Marinette?" Adrien asked, as he put his left arm behind her back and gently lifted her up so he could examine her. He held one of her hands with his right hand.

Marinette moaned before slowly opening her eyes. She saw Adrien was there and she said, "Adrien?"

"Thank goodness you're okay." Adrien said, sighing in relief.

"Same to you," Marinette giggled. "...Deja vu, isn't it?"

"Yeah. We were on this exact same beach when I saved you from that hurricane," Adrien chuckled, before his face fell. "But... I'm _so_ sorry."

"For what?" Marinette asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I never wanted this," Adrien said, remorseful. "I never meant for Hawk Moth to get my father's power _and_ my ring. If I hadn't signed that contract, none of this would have happened. I just..."

Adrien then began to stroke Marinette's cheek with the back of his hand. He looked at Marinette with loving, sad eyes, before telling her, "I just wanted to be with you. _Je t'aime_ , Marinette."

Marinette, feeling the same, hugged Adrien. She loved him, too, nor did she want him to leave. The feeling was mutual, and Adrien only squeezed his arms tighter, holding her closer.

 _'Fate, why do you have to be so cruel to me?!'_ Adrien thought, on the verge of tears. _'After everything I've been through...'_

Plagg and Tikki were also sadly watching them. Had Adrien and Marinette kissed in time, everything would have been right. Was happiness not in the cards for either of them?

Back in the water, Gabriel and Nathalie were watching the scene from a distance. Gabriel's facial expression was woeful, as was Nathalie's. Watching his son with the girl he loved on the beach, Gabriel had come to an epiphany.

"He truly _does_ love her. Doesn't he, Nathalie?" Gabriel said, watching Adrien.

Nathalie, smiling, merely gave a nod, before saying to the king, "Your Majesty, what I was saying before about Adrien being allowed to be free... What I _meant_ was that he needs the freedom to lead his own life."

" _That's_ what you were trying to say?" Gabriel asked, his tone still cold.

Nathalie flinched, before nodding to confirm the king's question.

"Well... Then there's only one thing left that I have to worry about." Gabriel said, giving a sigh.

"And that is?" Nathalie asked.

"How much I'll miss him." Gabriel stated with a shrug. Nathalie looked at her boss in surprise. Gabriel's trident started to glow, and he put it on the surface of the water.

Light and magic started to move from the trident, up the water, and to the sand where Adrien was.

As he and Marinette were hugging, Adrien noticed that his lower body started to feel different. He broke away from Marinette and looked down at himself. Seeing what was happening to him, Adrien's face broke out into the biggest grin he ever had. Marinette, Tikki, and Plagg could only smile, too.

Once the light faded, Adrien rose up _on legs and feet_. He was wearing black pants while his upper body was still nude.

"Adrien... Look at you!" Marinette squealed, delighted.

Adrien looked out to the water to see his father giving him a smile. Adrien, crying the happiest tears in his whole life, smiled back at Gabriel.

"Father... Thank you." Adrien whispered.

He turned back to Marinette. Adrien was so overjoyed that he scooped her up off the sand and spun her around in a bridal carry. He was laughing with joy and Marinette had joined in. He stopped spinning around and gave Marinette a huge smile. Marinette was also happy that Gabriel made Adrien a permanent human. She wrapped her arms around Adrien's neck. And without any hesitation, Adrien _finally_ captured Marinette's lips with his own.

Within about two weeks, Marinette was standing at the altar on the wedding ship once more. The same officiant, the same wedding dress, Alya was the maid of honor, Marinette's parents were in the audience, and the kwamis were all there together at the ceremony. Tikki was floating close to Marinette, and Plagg was with Adrien.

What made this wedding different was that Adrien was the groom. He was wearing a white tuxedo and a white rose boutonnière.

Nino was not only leading the orchestra, but he was also the best man for the wedding. Adrien would have asked Félix, but since the maid of honor was betrothed to the holder of the Turtle Miraculous, it just made more sense. No one was any under spell. The only magic that was happening was that of pure happiness from everyone in the venue.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife!" The officiant declared.

Adrien scooped Marinette up into the exact same bridal carry and kissed her soundly. Marinette returned this kiss with full vigor. Everyone was cheering for the pair.

Seeing that their friends were happily united in marriage, Alya started crying tears of joy into Nino's chest, and he hugged Alya. He was getting misty-eyed at the sight. His new best friend and his fiancé's best friend were now married.

Tom and Sabine were also crying happily. They were delighted that their daughter had found such a wonderful man to spend her lifetime with. They were just as surprised as everyone else when they found out Adrien was born a merboy, but they found that to be inconsequential at this point.

It was not just humans who were attending the wedding. Down in the water, Gabriel, Félix, merpeople and sea creatures from all walks of sea-life were there as witnesses. They were so happy to see that their prince was now a newlywed. The merpeople were waving to the humans, and vice-versa. This wedding was not just the exchanges of marriage vows between Marinette and Adrien: it was the union of two worlds which had been separate since the dawn of time. All barriers between humans and merpeople were now broken.

Kim had landed on the railing of the boat to watch, and he was happy for his friend.

Nathalie was sitting on top of the wedding cake. She was crying tears of joy because Adrien had finally found happiness with the girl that he loved. Just then, she was picked up by a pair of hands.

Turning around, she saw that she was in the hands of Cheng Shifu, and Chef Césaire was standing next to him.

"What's a crab doing here? This isn't where she belongs." Marlena said, a smile gracing her lips. Cheng Shifu nodded in agreement.

They started walking somewhere. Nathalie closed her eyes and cowered, afraid that she was going to get cooked. When they stopped walking, Nathalie opened her eyes to see they were at the boat railing. Cheng Shifu then tossed Nathalie into the water.

"There you go." Marlena said from above. She and Cheng Shifu were smiling at Nathalie. She was happy to know that there were chefs in the human world that respected the ocean enough not to cook seafood. She cheered and whooped with delight. The crab knew the king would forgive her. It was a celebration, so she was allowed to cut loose.

Adrien gently put Marinette down, and then he walked over to the railing of the ship. Gabriel magically lifted himself and Félix up to Adrien. Looking at his father and brother, Adrien pulled them into a group hug.

No words were said, but they all got the message from Adrien: all was forgiven between them. He was happy that they were his family, regardless of where he would go with his life.

_"Now we can walk, now we can run, now we can stay all day in the sun..."_

Adrien turned back to his new wife and her parents. Marinette gave Gabriel and Félix a deep curtsy, and the two mermen gave Marinette an approving nod.

Tom and Sabine came over to them. Marinette's father shook hands with Gabriel, as did Sabine. Félix, meanwhile, was talking to his new sister-in-law.

"Feel free to visit whenever possible." Tom told Gabriel.

"Much obliged, Tom," Gabriel said. "And you are also welcome to visit."

Nino and Alya kept watching the newlyweds interact with their new family.

"Nino," A voice said, and Nino turned around to see an older Chinese man with a beard and mustache, wearing a nice suit, and smiling at Nino and his friends. Master Wang Fu, the Guardian of the Miraculous and Nino's mentor. "I see you have yet to introduce me to our realm's new prince."

"Master Fu..." Nino whispered, and he and Alya gave a bow. Nino was unsure of how to explain everything to the elder guardian. "I, um... I can explain. I know I should have told you about Adrien and the Cat Miraculous sooner, but..."

Fu chuckled before saying, "It's alright, Nino. You can fill me in later."

Nino sighed in relief. He could never put anything past his mentor. Fu then turned to walk over to the groom. Adrien turned around and noticed Fu smiling at him. Adrien immediately recognized him, and gave the older man a grin.

"It's an honor to meet you, Adrien." Fu said.

"Likewise, Master Fu," Adrien said, bowing in response. "Nino told me all about you."

"And I've heard quite a bit about you, young man," Fu said, giving Adrien a smile. "I have to admit, I was surprised when I learned that a _merboy_ was the one holding the Cat Miraculous this whole time. But I'm relieved that it was and will continue to be in good hands."

Adrien chuckled and said, "Well, the truth is, Plagg had just been asleep for a long time. I've only had the ring for a few years myself."

"Regardless, you're definitely worthy of wearing it." Fu replied with a chuckle.

Adrien smiled and told Fu, "Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome, Adrien," Fu replied. "I'm glad that the Cat Miraculous is back on land where it belongs. I'm expecting great things from you, Cat Noir."

"I won't let you down, Master!" Adrien vowed, as he and Fu shook hands.

"Adrien." Gabriel said, getting his son's attention again.

Adrien looked back at his father. Gabriel smiled at Fu, who returned the expression. Gabriel gave his son one last look before going back into the water with Félix.

Marinette came to her husband's side and they locked arms. They started waving to the merpeople below.

_"Just you and me. And I can be part of your world!"_

Gabriel used his trident to create a rainbow in the sky to celebrate. Meanwhile, Marinette tossed the bouquet behind her, and Alya caught it. She slyly looked at Nino, who was also smiling with joy and he was blushing, realizing the implication of Alya catching the bouquet. Wayzz and Trixx were also happy at this sight.

As the boat sailed away, some of the merpeople started to go back under the water, since the wedding was over.

Adrien looked at Marinette with pure love and devotion in his eyes, about to cry happy tears again. He held Marinette close to him in a hug once more, gently rubbing her back with one of his hands.

"I'm so happy that you're my wife now, Bugaboo." Adrien softly whispered into Marinette's ear. Marinette giggled at this newly-established nickname.

"I'm also happy that you're now my husband, Kitty." Marinette whispered back, as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

Adrien gently lifted Marinette's chin so she could face him. They did not hesitate. Adrien dipped Marinette down and they kissed each other once more, getting cheers from the crowd.

Adrien had finally gotten his wish: he was now part of Marinette's world. Not just as her husband, but as the newest member of her team. He brought Plagg back home. He found friends in Nino and Alya, who would have their own ceremony soon enough.

And though Adrien was leaving his life in Atlantica behind, he knew he would never forget his roots. For at the core, he would always be a little merboy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And THAT'S THE END!


End file.
